


Something to Fight For 2.0

by Ambs_Writes



Category: Runaways (TV 2017), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, DC and Marvel Crossover, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Identity Reveal, Mentions of Maggie Sawyer, Past Sanvers, Post Season 1 of Runaways, Post Season 2 of Supergirl, Slow Burn Gert/Chase, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, That's it, all the friendships between the runaways, fluffl, supercorp adopt the runaways, that's the fic, this is a rewrite of a fic i wrote a while ago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:49:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 50,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29096046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambs_Writes/pseuds/Ambs_Writes
Summary: On the run after rescuing Karolina from the Gibborim church, the Runaways pull over to rest in what they think is an abandoned warehouse. After being discovered by the owner of the warehouse, the Runaways gain the most unlikely allies and both Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor find something to bring them back to the friendship they had before the Daxamite invasion.Maybe with a little extra help, they can fix the world that their families broke.
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru
Comments: 29
Kudos: 133





	1. On The Run

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Something to Fight For](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16605689) by [Ambs_Writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambs_Writes/pseuds/Ambs_Writes). 



> Hello! Firstly I apologize for the length of this note. It is probably the longest authors note I'll ever leave on a work but there are somethings I need to say. 
> 
> This fic is a rewrite of one of the first fanfics that I ever wrote and felt proud of. I started the original fic (which is still up if you want to read that one) when I was still in high school and unfortunately never finished the original version. It wasn't that I lost inspiration for the fic or didn't want to write it anymore, but I felt that I had grown a lot as a writer and I could never get back to the point where my new voice fit the old voice of that fic. 
> 
> So I decided to start over. 
> 
> There are quite a few changes in this version, although one major change is the character of Maggie. I was never the biggest fan of Sanvers when they were together (like they were cute, I enjoyed watching them, but they weren't the kind of ship i looked for fanfic for) so after Maggie left, I found it harder to write their relationship. While I have written quite a ways ahead on this version, Alex is single for what I have written so far. I have ideas to take her character in two different ways, but if you have a preference for who you'd like to see Alex with, I'd be happy to hear it. Another big change is the length of the chapters. The original fic had chapters of about 3k, while this fic will have chapters between 6k and 8k. 
> 
> I also feel that I have done a better job of blending these two worlds together than I did in the first version. 
> 
> If you read the original Something to Fight For, I hope you enjoy this version just as much. 
> 
> I sincerely hope my rambling hasn't turned you off this fic right off the bat so, if you're still around, please enjoy and let me know what you think!

They’re all exhausted. Alex sits behind the wheel of the second vehicle that they had stolen, this one a simple black truck. The van that they’d taken from the Gibb church was too recognizable due to the symbol on the side so they’d ditched it as soon as they’d all gotten changed and mostly recovered from the confrontation with their parents. That left them with the issue of needing transportation. None of them trusted their own vehicles enough to take them, so with limited options they were left to thievery. Alex didn’t like it, but he also didn’t want to take any more chances than necessary. Alex had grabbed the truck he was in while off running other errands, mostly getting clothes and picking up a couple of disposable cell phones from the gas station. In the meantime, Chase and Karolina had posed as an arguing couple and stole an SUV from a restaurant. They needed the extra space so they could take Old Lace with them, Gert refused to leave the  deinonychus behind and none of them were willing to challenge her on that. Chase rode in the truck with him, the back seat laden with various camping supplies, while the four girls and Old Lace drove ahead of them in the SUV. 

“Were you really going to leave Karolina behind?” Chase asked after hours of tense silence only broken by the radio playing. It takes Alex a moment to process the question, his mind hazy with a bit of highway hypnosis. 

“Not for long,” Alex answers and from the way that Chase grunts he knows it was the wrong thing to say. “I mean, I would’ve gone back for her. After we were settled somewhere.” 

“Even though we decided we can’t settle anywhere in the city?” Chase scoffed, arms crossing over his chest. “Yeah, right.” 

“We made that decision after we got Karolina back, I was all for going to get her. I just wanted the rest of us to be safe while we did that.” 

“Whatever Alex,” Chase rolled his eyes. “You can believe whatever you want.” A beat. “But you should apologize to Karolina. Even if you don’t like her because of everything going on with Nico, it wasn’t cool to say you’d leave her behind. Especially not after what she did for us.” 

“I know, and I will.” Alex took one hand off of the wheel to rub at his eyes tiredly. He ignored Chase’s comment about ‘everything going on with Nico.’ Alex wasn’t quite sure what to make of that situation any more. He’d been in love with Nico for as long as he could remember, but he’d messed up by not telling her what he knew about Amy before. Nico was Amy’s sister, she deserved to know the truth about her death. By not telling her, Alex had effectively driven her away. That much he understood. It was the part about her running into Karolina’s arms that had thrown him for a bit of a loop. 

“Do you want to switch? I can call the girls,” Chase offered, reaching for the old style flip phone on the dash. 

Alex shrugged, leaving the decision up to Chase. At this point, they’d been driving for more hours than Alex could track. They’d stopped twice for gas, letting Old Lace out for a bit at each stop, and to load up with junk food. Alex had spent a good portion of the money he’d gotten from Darius just getting their camping gear, tents and blankets and pillows that were little more than rocks. They were running out of funds too fast. Maybe they were far enough away now to stop for a bit longer, get some rest. Alex was fairly certain that they weren’t being followed since they’d crossed state lines so many times now, from California to Arizona to Nevada and then back to California. 

“I think we should stop soon,” Gert’s static-like voice filled the cabin of the truck, Chase having evidently put the phone on speaker so Alex could hear as well. “We’re all exhausted and Old Lace needs to run.” 

“I think we’re far enough away to stop, at least for a few hours.” Karolina’s voice comes through as well. Alex can’t help but wonder if she’s sitting up front with Gert, who Alex knows is driving, or if she’d left the front seat for Molly and is curled up in the back with Nico. 

“Yeah, let’s just take the next exit.” 

“National City?” Gert questions, reading from the sign that Alex passes moments after. The exit is another two miles away. 

“Yeah, we’ll find somewhere to lay low there for the night,” Alex glances at the clock on the dash. “Or what’s left of it at least.” 

“You guys wanna take the lead?” 

“We’ll follow you.” 

“Alright,” Alex watches as the SUV indicator light turns on, the exit fast approaching. “See you two in a bit.” 

Silence lingers in the car once again as Alex directs the truck to follow the girls in the SUV through the deserted streets of a city he’s vaguely familiar with. As he drives, Alex can’t help but ask himself one simple question: how the hell did they get here?

**____**

The girls’ vehicle isn’t quite as silent as the boys’ but that is only because of Molly’s soft snoring. She sits in the front passenger seat, her pink cat hat pulled down over her eyes as she dozes. Karolina’s a little bit jealous at the ease at which Molly had fallen asleep, but since Molly was the only one of their group not yet old enough to drive, no one bothered to wake her up. Karolina herself could have been resting for the past few hours, after she’d switched off driving and Gert got behind the wheel at their last stop, but she remains awake. With Nico sitting beside her, she can’t really bring herself to complain about that either. 

They haven’t talked yet, not about the kiss they shared in the school hallway or the one in the back of the van before they decided to leave L.A., but Nico had chosen to ride with her, sitting in the front seat while Karolina drove and then moving to the back when it was Gert’s turn. Once they had climbed into the back seat, Nico had scooted across the bench seat and let her head fall on to Karolina’s shoulder, their hands barely touching. The small contact was enough to set Karolina’s heart racing. She’d wanted this with Nico for so long, denying to everyone - including herself - that she felt anything more than friendship for the petite girl at her side that after a while, Karolina had started to believe it, too. She didn’t let herself think that her feelings were real until she was presented with the reality that if she didn’t say something now, she might never get the chance to say it at all. Still, Karolina was hesitant to make another move where Nico was concerned. Sure, they’d avoided death for the moment, but now they were homeless and on the run. Their relationship, if they had one, could wait until things were more stable. Karolina wouldn’t do anything unless she was sure that Nico wanted her too. 

It takes them about a half hour of driving around the strange city before they stumble across an apparently deserted warehouse district. After a quick call to the boys, they decided that hunkering down in one of the warehouses is probably their best bet for the night. Gert shakes Molly awake so she can break the lock for them, an act which Molly is a little too excited to perform in Gert’s opinion but she doesn’t say anything. Molly tosses the crushed lock to the side and holds the gate open so both vehicles can be driven in. Following Chase’s advice they decided to back the two vehicles in side by side, just in case they needed to make a quick getaway. 

“Stay unseen and get back soon,” Gert instructs Old Lace after Old Lace climbs out of the SUV. The  deinonychus gives what sounds like an affirmative hum before she darts out the back entrance of the warehouse, presumably in search of something to eat. 

“We should get some sleep,” Alex says to the group as a whole, opening the backseat of the truck so that everyone can grab something to cover up with. “Someone should sleep in the driver’s seats, just in case.” 

“I’ll take the SUV,” Chase offers, only taking a pillow with him and then moving back to the other vehicle after claiming the keys from Gert. 

“I’ll take the passenger seat, it reclines,” Gert takes a pillow and blanket as Molly grabs one of the sleeping bags, calling that she’s got the backseat of the SUV. 

“I’ll take the driver’s seat in the truck,” Alex looks awkwardly in any direction other than where Karolina and Nico are standing close together. “Shut the door when you’re done, yeah?” 

Karolina nods and reaches to grab the last sleeping bag, two pillows, and a blanket. Alex claims the last pillow for himself and moves around the truck as Nico pushes the door closed. 

“Do you want the backseat or the passenger?” Karolina asks Nico, holding out the items in her hands for Nico to select what she wants. Nico shakes her head. 

“I’ve got a better idea,” she says and walks around the back of the truck. Using the hitch as a step-stool, Nico climbs over the tailgate so she’s standing up in the bed of the truck. “Hand me the sleeping bag?” 

Karolina passes it over and waits as Nico sets it up and then calls for both pillows. Once Karolina has the blanket hanging over her shoulder, she follows Nico into the bed of the truck. 

Nico had unzipped the sleeping bag and spread it out along the bed of the truck, placing the two pillows just beneath the back windshield. She looks nervous, Karolina notes, standing at what would be the ‘head’ of the bed and wringing her hands together. 

“Is this okay?” 

“It’s perfect,” Karolina assures her, picking the pillow on the right side and settling down. Nico lies with her a moment later after taking a deep breath that Karolina thinks she probably wasn’t meant to notice. Karolina spreads the blanket over both of them, the chill in the air encouraging them to lay a bit closer together than strictly necessary. 

It’s not the first time that they’ve chosen to sleep close together. The first night they’d been on the run, before they’d traded the van for what they have now, Nico had ended up pressed against Karolina’s back with an arm thrown over her waist. Granted, they’d also been sleeping in one van with four other kids and a dinosaur so there hadn’t been much free space. Now, they have no excuse for pressing close together except that they want to. 

Nico shifts beside her for a little while, unable to get comfortable. Karolina stops her with a soft gesture, lifting Nico’s pillow to stack with her own and then guiding the smaller girl to rest her head against Karolina’s shoulder instead. The placement moves them closer together and relieves the strain in Nico’s neck that came with laying completely flat. Karolina moves her arm so she’s cradling Nico to her more securely, her fingers resting lightly against Nico’s waist. 

“Is this okay?” 

“Yeah,” Nico releases the word on a sigh, closing her eyes and nuzzling closer. Some time passes and Karolina feels Nico’s body relax against her and assumes that she has fallen asleep. Karolina herself remains awake, staring up at the dark ceiling above them, lost in thought. 

She feels restless now, fully recovered from whatever had happened to her when she and Jonah caused that electromagnetic pulse back at the dig site. Besides the buzzing of energy beneath her skin, there’s the whirling thoughts in her mind. Karolina has so many questions now about who she is and where she comes from. Is she human? Is she alien? Is she both? What about the Gibborim teachings? Everything that her grandfather believed? Was all of that a lie? 

Those questions and many more circled around and around in Karolina’s brain. The worst of it all was that she knew exactly who she could ask those questions to but she was unwilling to do so. Jonah was the reason that all of them were in this mess. Pride may have been doing his dirty work for him, but Karolina didn’t believe that any of their parents were inherently bad people. They’d followed the wrong person, they’d done horrible things in the name of making the world a better place for their children and they deserved to be punished for those actions, but Karolina didn’t see them as bad people. None of them except for Jonah. Jonah was the figurehead, the enticing incident. Without him, none of this would have happened. 

But also, without Jonah, Karolina wouldn’t have been born. 

She can’t quite come to terms with the fact that her father is a murdering, psychotic creature from another planet. The evidence is indisputable, given the energy that Karolina can feel humming beneath her skin, the energy that is only being held back by the bracelet she wears. It’s not even the extraterrestrial aspect that Karolina has trouble connecting with. Finding out that she’s part alien is actually kind of a relief since it explains the powers she has discovered she had. That at least answers the question of why she has these powers when her friends don’t. With the existence of people like Supergirl and Wonder Woman, believing that aliens are real and living with them has simply become an accepted part of the world they live in. The shock had been that  _ she  _ was an alien, but Karolina could come to terms with that easily enough now that she knew about it. 

But her real father being a murderer? Her mother helping him by supplying children for him to feed on? 

That, Karolina was struggling to wrap her head around. It probably didn’t help that Karolina had yet to share that bit of information with her friends yet. For one, there hadn’t been time for that. They’d either been preparing to leave or actively on the run since they’d rescued Karolina from Jonah’s hands. Since they were taking two vehicles and Karolina didn’t want to tell this story any more than strictly necessary, she had simply decided to wait until they were all in one place to start this particular conversation. For another, Karolina had no idea how to start this conversation. How does one tell their closest friends - not to mention the girl they’re falling for - that her real father is the reason that they are all on the run in the first place and also an alien. It doesn’t seem like something that can be dropped into casual conversation. 

A weight against her waist pulls Karolina from her thoughts. Nico had shifted against her, her arm laying across Karolina’s abdomen now. Karolina looks down at her and is surprised to find Nico already looking back at her. 

“You should be asleep.” 

“My pillow is really tense.” 

“Oh, sorry,” Karolina takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she forces her muscles to relax. Nico resettles against her, a little further away than she had been before so she can continue to look up at Karolina’s eyes. 

“Why can’t you sleep?” Nico asks softly. Her hand is resting against Karolina’s clothed stomach and she has to resist the urge to trace patterns with her fingertips. 

“Just a lot on my mind,” Karolina answers just as softly, squeezing Nico around the waist. 

“Wanna talk about it?” 

“Not now,” Karolina pulls Nico close to her again, mentally steeling herself before she places a feather-light kiss against Nico’s forehead. “We should sleep.” 

“I’m not sleepy,” Nico says through a yawn, nuzzling closer to the girl holding her as a soft breeze brushes over them from the warehouse’s open windows. Karolina shivers slightly though she’s not sure if it’s because of the wind or because Nico had just pressed her lips against the skin of Karolina’s neck so softly Karolina wasn’t sure if she had actually done it. It was probably just the wind. 

“Sleep, Nico. We can talk later.” 

“You need to sleep too,” Nico reaches for the bracelet on the arm that’s wrapped around her. “Would it help if you could light up?” 

“Probably, but I’ll manage with out. Don’t want to draw any attention to us and if it looks like we’re having a rave in here, someone will probably call the cops.” 

“Good point,” Nico let her hand fall back to Karolina’s stomach and tucked her nose against Karolina’s neck, breathing her in. Karolina’s scent was mostly hidden beneath the smell of dirt and musk that came from travelling for days on end but Nico could still detect a hint of the girl she’d known almost all her life. It was comforting and warm, just like Karolina herself. “Goodnight Karrie.” 

“Goodnight Nico,” Karolina tucked the blanket around them a little tighter and then pressed her nose into Nico’s hair, letting the scent and feel of her oldest friend lull her to sleep. 

**___**

In the SUV, Gert watched through the side mirrors as Nico and Karolina crawled into the bed of the truck, smiling slightly. She’d always sensed something there, even when they were younger. Karolina had never been subtle in her obvious admiration and affection for Nico. Gert had known there was something there long before she’d confronted Karolina about after they’d all reunited. At least, she had known there was something there on Karolina’s side. Nico had always been harder to read for her, even before they’d lost Amy. Gert used to think that the sisters had complimented each other so well, Amy a little more outgoing and Nico a little more reserved in their friendships with other people. Amy had always encouraged Nico to break out of her shell more and Nico had agreed to make her sister happy. It made her happy too, at least that’s what Gert had always thought when they were kids. 

She thought it made sense that Nico had gotten colder, the wall around her heart stronger, after they lost Amy. 

“They really are not subtle.” Chase’s voice pulled Gert from her thoughts and she looked over at him, slightly reclined in the driver’s seat of the SUV. Molly was already snoring again in the back seat so Chase had kept his voice at a soft whisper. 

“No, they aren’t, but I’m not surprised,” Gert whispered back. “Karolina’s always been into Nico.” 

“I wonder what they were doing in the hall the other day,” Chase glanced at Gert out of the corner of his eye, judging her reaction to the shared memory. “I told Nico she smelled like hookup when we went to get clothes.” 

“She wasn’t the only one,” Gert mumbles, cheeks flushing slightly when she catches Chase’s gaze. She clears her throat and looks away. “I mean, Karolina. She did, too.” 

“Right,” Chase swallowed. “Not like we can say anything right?” 

“Right,” Gert repeated. She pulled at a loose thread on the blanket that she was using and reclined her seat a little more, careful not to crush Molly’s feet behind her. “We shouldn’t say anything.” 

“That’s not exactly what I meant,” Chase ran his hands over the stationary steering wheel for a moment and then let go. “But I guess you’re right. It’s their business, they can tell us if and when they want too.” 

“Pretty sure Alex has already figured it out.” 

“Yeah, we were talking about it a little bit on the road.” Chase continued when Gert looked at him pointedly. “Karolina doesn’t know that Alex wanted to leave her behind. That’s not cool and I told him that. Karolina saved all of us and even if she didn’t, she’s one of us. He shouldn’t have wanted to leave her just because she’s the one that Nico’s into.” 

“I don’t think that’s why he wanted to leave her,” Gert said thoughtfully. “Alex cares about us and he wanted to go back for her eventually. I think he wanted to have a safe place to bring her too first.” 

“Still, you think he would have hesitated like that if it was one of us who’d been taken?” 

“Well, if it was you he’d probably hesitate,” Gert said, chuckling slightly at the resigned expression Chase pulled. “But I see your point. He should apologize for trying to leave Karolina behind.” 

“I’m sure he’ll be forgiven because I’ve never known Karolina to hold a grudge but it’s the thought that counts right?” 

“Yeah,” Gert shifted in her seat, adjusting the pillow beneath her head. They sat in silence for a little while longer. “We should get some sleep.” 

“Sure,” Chase agreed easily, leaning back in his seat. He turned his head to look at Gert, his gaze intense and unfazed even as Gert looked away with slightly flushed cheeks. “Hey, Gert? I know you don’t want to say anything about it yet and that’s totally okay, but I’ll still be here later. Whenever you decide it’s okay to talk about it.” 

“Promise?” Gert asked, her voice so soft that Chase wasn’t entirely sure he’d heard her correctly. He answered anyway. 

“Promise.” 

Gert didn’t respond verbally, but she did lift her hand out from under her blanket and slipped it into Chase’s grasp over the center console. Chase, who hadn’t been expecting any kind of response - verbal or physical - considered the contact a small victory and cherished every second that he could feel Gert’s hand clasped in his own until they both followed their friends into the land of dreams. 

None of them were sure exactly how much time had passed when they were rudely brought back to the waking world by lights shining directly in their eyes and voices yelling through the windows. 

“FBI! Put your hands in the air!” 

**___**

Lena isn’t sure if it is simple dumb luck or the universe playing some massive prank on her when she gets the alert on her phone. She’s at Kara’s apartment for a movie night, the first that they’ve had in awhile actually. Kara had been distant since the Daxamite invasion of National City, not that Lena blamed her. If Lena’s partner had been sent away the way Mon-El had been, she would probably have wanted some space too. The invitation had come from Kara earlier that day and Lena had nearly tripped over herself in her haste to accept it. It was almost embarrassing the lengths she would go to spend time with Kara but Lena knew it was worth it. Every moment she spent with Kara was worth it, even if they could never be more than friends. 

They’d been chatting over the movie when the alert comes in, Lena pausing to look at her phone after it beeps from the coffee table. Her expression must shift in response to the alert because Kara is suddenly tense at her side, the hand that had been softly resting against Lena’s arm now gently squeezing her bicep. 

“What is it?” 

“Someone broke into one of L-Corp’s warehouses,” Lena quickly reads over the brief report, two vehicles with at least 4 individuals and some kind of pet. They’d activated the motion sensors by the front gate and activated the cameras. Lena pulls up the feed. 

“Wow,” Kara says, voice ringing with concern as they watch what looks like a young girl break the chain lock off of the gate with one hand and toss it to the side. She holds the gate open and then pulls it closed again as a truck and an SUV drive through. “Should you call the police?” 

“No, I mean, yes. I should report this but not to the police,” Lena glances at Kara out of the corner of her eyes. She can see Kara tense, the crinkle in her brow forming as she waits for Lena to explain. Looking at her in the soft light of Kara’s apartment, even though her glasses are still on and her hair is pulled up, Lena wonders how she was ever fooled by the simple disguise. “This warehouse was one of Lex’s, one that I have no idea what he might have stored there.” 

“You’ve kept Lex’s warehouses open?” There’s almost an accusation in the question and Lena bristles in response, but whatever retort she has dies on her tongue. Kara isn’t asking to be mean, Lena knows that. She’s looking out for herself and for her secrets, the one that Lena will keep pretending that she doesn’t know until Kara is ready to tell her about it. 

“I’ve been going through them, slowly, but I don’t even know where half of them are. The ones that I do know about are under constant surveillance and I am notified whenever someone breaches the premises, but he typically doesn’t keep the strongest of his arsenal in those.” 

“But I take it that they are not well known.” 

“No, and I can’t imagine that anyone would have stumbled across them by accident. I’m afraid that I might have to ask you for another favor.” 

Kara looks at her with a deep understanding, she knows what Lena is about to ask. Of course she does, Kara knows Lena better than anyone and can read her face no matter how impassive her expression is. They look at one another in silence for a long moment, Kara’s eyes searching every inch of Lena’s face. She’s looking for something that Lena can’t name but knows that she feels and Lena can’t help but wonder if she finds it. A moment later, Kara sighs softly and her hands fall away from Lena’s arm. 

“You know.” 

It’s not a question but it’s not quite a statement either. It’s more of a thought, one that comes out on a sigh and leaves Kara’s shoulders dropping like she’s just taken on the weight of the universe again. 

“I do.” 

There’s so much more that Lena wants to say but she can’t bring herself to open her mouth again. She wants to tell Kara that she isn’t angry about the secret she kept, that she understands why Kara didn’t feel comfortable telling her and that she was fine with waiting until Kara was ready. She wants to say that it doesn’t change anything between them but that’s not true because it does change things. It makes all the times that Supergirl, that  _ Kara  _ dropped everything to rush to Lena’s aid mean that much more. It makes the space between them feel like a chasm that can’t be crossed no matter how much Lena wants to vault across it. So Lena clears her throat and says nothing as Kara rises from the couch. There’s a short gust of wind and then a moment later, Supergirl is standing where Kara had been a moment ago. 

“We can’t go alone,” Kara states, hands on her hips. “If Lex stored something dangerous there, it needs to be handed over. Can I fly you to the DEO?” 

Lena nods silently, slipping her phone into her pocket and pulling on her shoes. She takes a moment to regret wearing jeans and a sweater to Kara’s place since she knows she would have felt more comfortable going to the DEO if she was wearing her usual attire, but she shakes the thought from her head. They’ve spent too much time sitting around already, any more time they waste is more time that whoever broke into the warehouse can use to get away. 

Once Lena is on her feet, Kara takes her hand and leads her closer to the window, which she had left open earlier. 

“I know you don’t like flying,” Kara tells her softly, “so I’ll be as quick as I can without hurting you. Just close your eyes and hang on to me.” 

“Okay,” Lena’s agreement comes softly. 

Kara steps into Lena’s space and wraps both arms around her, holding securely. Lena’s arms rise to loop around Kara’s neck and she presses her nose to the crook where the neck and shoulder meet, eyes already closed tightly. She feels Kara’s shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath and then she feels weightless. Her feet are no longer on solid ground and she’s being held up right by Kara’s arms alone. The wind brushes across the parts of her back not covered by Kara’s arms and Lena suppresses a shiver. 

It’s different, she thinks, being carried in this way. All the other times that Kara, Supergirl, has carried her, she’d been situated in her arms like a bride. That had been nice too, at least after Lena’s heart had stopped racing due to whatever life-threatening event had led to them being in such a position, but this was nice too. Nice in a different way. Lena could feel all of Kara’s body pressed against her own, the pure scent of Kara filling her nose and the warmth of her arms keeping her secure as they flew through the air. It’s soft and intimate and Lena cherishes every second that spends in Kara’s arms because she doesn’t think she’ll get this chance ever again. 

“Supergirl?” A somewhat familiar voice questions, pulling Lena back into the present. 

They’ve landed in the DEO now. Lena isn’t sure how long they’ve been there but judging from the look Alex sends her as she lets go of Kara, it’s been long enough for her hold on said superhero to seem odd. 

“We have a situation,” Kara says by way of greeting, gesturing for Lena to pull her phone out. 

“One of my warehouses was broken into,” Lena explains as she pulls up the alert and video. She hands her phone off to Alex with only a little bit of hesitation, fully aware of the amount of armed government agents in the room and just as aware that with the exception of Kara, none of them trust her. “One that Lex used to use. I don’t know what’s in it but if someone broke in, it can’t be good.” 

“How can you not know what’s in your own warehouse?” Alex questions, her voice not harsh but not kind either. Kara levels a short glare at her over Lena’s shoulder. 

“Lex had many storage units stored all over the world, I haven’t been able to go through them all yet. I don’t think there’s anything dangerous in this one, but I thought you’d like to know just in case.” Lena’s expression hardens slightly at the clear distrust on Agent Danvers’ face. “Of course, I can handle this on my own if you’d rather.” 

“That won’t be necessary, Ms. Luthor,” Director Henshaw steps in then, standing beside Alex and placing a hand on her shoulder. Alex sucks in a deep breath at the contact and Lena wonders what else is happening that has the Agent seeming so out of sorts. She’s never seen Alex looking anything other than calm and collected. “Thank you for bringing this to us.” 

“Let’s get a team ready, apprehend and detain the intruders, bring the Kryptonite scanners,” Alex orders loudly, a group of agents moving quickly to do as she says. Lena feels a small pang of worry at the reminder of the possible danger Kara could be in and sees the worry reflected on Alex’s face as she turns back to the hero. “Supergirl-”

“I’m going, Alex,” Kara says immediately, cutting off whatever protest Alex was about to make. “I can stand back until the scan is done, but I’m going. And so is Lena.” 

“That’s not your choice to make,” Alex argues, just as Lena had expected. But Kara is standing firm, her hands on her hips as she stands tall beside Lena. 

“It’s her warehouse, it was her choice to bring this to the DEO. She deserves to be there.” Kara states plainly, her posture not relaxing on waning under the look Alex sends her way. “Alex, I trust her. Otherwise I wouldn’t have brought her here, or told her about me.” 

“You told her?” Alex’s eyes have gone wide in surprise, looking back and forth between the two women standing before her like she can’t believe what she’s heard or what she’s seeing. “She’s-” 

“Nothing like the rest of her family and doesn’t deserve to be judged for what they did. Lena’s the reason we were able to stop the Daxamite’s and arrest Lillian Luthor. She’s a good person and my friend. It was my choice to tell her.” 

“I won’t tell anyone,” Lena says after a tense moment of silence passes between the two sisters. “I’ll sign whatever forms you need me to, but I wouldn’t tell anyone regardless. Kara is important to me. I don’t want to lose her.” It feels like too emotional of an admission to be making to Alex rather than Kara herself but Lena can see the way Kara’s shoulders relax at her words, the tension in her jaw lessening. 

“Good,” Alex says the word like a threat. She makes eye contact with Lena and then walks away from them to suit up for their mission. 

“Sorry about her,” Kara says apologetically when it’s back to just the two of them around. “She actually does like you. She’s just going through a rough time.” 

“It’s fine, I’ve learned not to take it personally.” Lena waves off Kara’s concerns. “Thank you for insisting I come with you.” 

“I only told the truth,” Kara shrugged, fidgeting with her hands. Lena can see the echoes of her best friend hiding beneath the blue and red of her super suit. It’s not difficult at all in that moment to reconcile that the strong hero she admires and the beautiful reporter she cherishes are one in the same. “I should have told you sooner.” 

“It’s okay, Kara,” Lena raises her hand and lets it fall onto Kara’s arm, the contact gentle and warming. 

“It’s not. I trust you, I have trusted you.” 

“We can talk about it later. Right now we have bigger fish to fry.” Lena lets her hand fall down so she’s gripped Kara’s hand in her own and squeezes gently, letting go a moment later. “But we will talk, I promise.” 

“Okay,” Kara offers her a smile, smaller than the one she normally gives but no less warm. Lena smiles back and then takes a small step away as Alex approaches the two of them again. Alex is dressed out in her tactical gear now and she carries a vest in one of her hands. 

“Put this on,” Alex says as she hands the vest to Lena and nods in satisfaction as she puts it on. “You’ll be riding with me. Supergirl, stay in the air until the scanners are done.” 

Kara and Lena both nodded their agreement, sharing one last look as Lena walked away following Alex and Kara took to the skies again to follow them to the warehouse. 

**___**

It only takes a few moments for the kryptonite scanners to come back clean once they arrive at the warehouse so Kara has already landed next to the standard issue government vehicle that Alex drove by the time Lena is allowed to climb out. Kara has retrieved the broken lock from where it was thrown on the ground before and is looking at it curiously. Lena watches her fingers clench around the metal lock experimentally, judging the strength of it. 

“What is it?” Lena asks, drawing Alex’s attention to the lock as well. 

“Whoever broke this had to be strong.” 

“Like super strong?” Alex asked. Lena rolled her eyes at the unintentional pun, thought the question was valid. 

“No, probably not as strong as me, but still,” Kara flexed her fingers around the lock again and Lena half expected it to crumble into pieces in her hand. “We should be careful.” 

“Noted. Move forward.” 

Lena followed slightly behind Alex and Kara as they entered the warehouse proper. Alex held up her fist to signal the group to stop as Kara analyzed the two vehicles with her x-ray vision. 

“There’s six of them, three in the SUV, driver, passenger, and backseat. One in the driver seat of the truck, two in the bed.” Kara frowned. “I don’t see any weapons or anything like that. They seem…” 

“What?” 

“Young.” 

“Alright, no immediate threat. Surround both cars and pull one of ours up, shine the lights through the windshield. Keep your weapons trained but do not fire without orders.” 

“Yes ma’am.” 

Moving with the quiet efficiency that Lena expected of a secret government agency, the team they had brought to the warehouse hastened to follow Alex’s orders. They moved silently, leaving their vehicles idling until Alex gave the signal to turn on the lights. Kara shifted so she was standing haf in front of Lena rather than beside her, gripping her cape like she was ready to use it as a shield if necessary. 

At Alex’s signal, the warehouse was flooded with light from the DEO vehicles. 

“FBI! Put your hands in the air!” 

Surprisingly, the order was not met with the sight of hardened criminals mocking the command they’d been given, but with wide, surprised eyes. The figures in the SUV sit up quickly, sharing a frightened look between the three of them as they put their hands up, the boy in the front seat leading them. The driver door of the truck opens and a boy slides out, his glasses falling down his nose and throat bobbing with a hard swallow as he takes in the guns around them. He looks a little more reluctant but slowly raises his hands as well after Alex repeats the order. 

Lastly, two girls stand up from the bed of the truck, looking like complete opposites in every way from their clothes to their heights. The taller one of the two takes an almost protective step forward and reaches for something on her wrist, only to be stopped by the shorter girl placing a hand on her arm. They look at one another for a moment and then down at the boy standing beside the truck before they raise their hands up as well. 

Looking at the six frightened kids, Lena can already tell that this is going to end up being a very long night. 


	2. Welcome to National City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own. Some parts may look familiar and that's because a few chunks of this chapter were pulled from the OG version. 
> 
> Happy reading!

It’s easy enough to get all six kids gathered up outside of the cars. They don’t resist when Alex or another agent asks them to move, they keep their hands in the air even as they trade concerned looks with one another. The two vehicles are searched and they come up with a bunch of camping gear, recently purchased by the looks of it, and a backpack that holds the cash that they have with them as well as a set of goggles and metallic gloves. 

“Careful with those,” one of the boys speaks up when he sees an agent lifting the gloves up. “They’re kind of broken.” 

“You didn’t fix them yet?” The girl that had been sitting with him in the front seat questions. The boy shrugs. 

“I haven’t had the time or the tools to fix them!” 

“Guys, maybe argue about this when we aren’t surrounded by government agents?” The boy with the glasses tells them, his lips barely moving as he speaks. 

“We’re not arguing,” the girl retorts and then looks around at the assembled agents, like she’s expecting some kind of attack. The six of them had yet to notice that Supergirl is there as well as she’s stayed in the shadows intentionally. She doesn’t believe that any of these kids will attack but she doesn’t want to give them an incentive too by revealing her presence there. “But fine.” 

“Thank you.” 

“They’re just kids,” Lena says softly, still standing slightly behind Kara. 

“They still broke into this place,” Kara reminds her, voice just as low. “We won’t hurt them, but we also won’t take any chances until we know what they are up to.” 

Lena nods her understanding, watching curiously as Alex and the other agents continue to inspect the vehicles and occupants with kind but critical eyes. 

“Did they run the plates on the cars?” Lena asked softly. 

“Winn’s on it, he’ll contact us when he has something. The light isn’t good enough here for the DEO’s facial recognition but we’ll run that when we get them to the DEO.” 

“You’re going to take them into custody?” 

“Most likely,” Kara shrugs. “Even if they haven’t done anything other than break into this place, which seems more and more like an accident, they’re kids. We won’t leave them on the street unless we have to.” 

“Still, I find it hard to believe that six teenagers have stumbled across one of Lex’s old storage places.” 

“They don’t look like - do you hear that?” Kara interrupted her own statement with a question, shoulders tensing. Lena watched as her head tilted to the side slightly, listening. 

“Hear what?” 

Lena’s question was answered a moment later when something came running at the agents with a  _ screech _ . Kara was in motion before Lena could notice the movement, moving with superhuman speed towards the space where three agents were scrambling to get away from the roaring creature. Kara stepped into its path, standing firm as the creature collided with her. Its claws swiped out quickly, not sharp enough to break Kara’s skin but shredding a bit of the fabric covering her abdomen. 

“Is that a fucking dinosaur?” Kara wasn’t sure which agent had asked the question, though she echoed the sentiment. She could feel its scales beneath her hands, angry puffs of air blowing across her neck as the dinosaur growled at her. 

Behind her, the six kids seemed to be in some kind of conversation that was half argument, half observations. 

“That’s Supergirl!” 

“Old Lace, stop!” 

“No, let her do her thing.” 

“Alex, are you insane?! That’s Supergirl!” 

“Gert, call her off!” 

“I’m trying! She’s not responding like normal.” 

“You’re too anxious, you need to relax.” 

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” 

“Guys, not helping.” 

“C’mon Gert, just breath. We’re not in any danger.” 

“Say that to the armed agents surrounding us!” 

“Hey!” Alex’s sharp voice cut further arguments. “You can control this thing?” 

“I can control her,” a voice responded with more than a hint of defiance. Kara released a grunt as the creature, Old Lace she guessed based on what the kids were saying, renewed her efforts to tear her stomach apart. 

“Call her off, now.” 

“I’m trying! I just...I have this issue with anxiety and all these guns around are not helping.” 

“Agent Danvers,” Lena, finally finding her voice and the ability to move her legs, moved to join the circle of agents around the kids. “Tell your agents to back off, preferably before the deinonychus gets in a lucky hit.” 

“How does she know what kind of dinosaur Old Lace is?” 

“Shut up Molly.” 

The whispered conversation is largely ignored as Alex and Lena stare one another down, the silence between them punctuated with the sounds of Kara grunting in exertion. Eventually, Alex conceded. 

“Stand down, Agents.” They moved in unison to give the group a wide berth and Lena watched the purple haired girl’s shoulders relax slightly. “Call her off.” 

“Okay, okay,” the girl moved closer to where Supergirl was holding the calming dinosaur at arms length as best as she could. “Lacey girl, let the nice hero go. She won’t hurt us,” there was a pause, “I don’t think.” 

Supergirl heard the creature she was fighting release a mewling sound and eased her hold. Standing up straight and moving her hair out of her face, Kara looked back at the dinosaur now cowering behind the purple haired girl and looking at her with an expression that almost looked apologetic. 

“Sorry,” the girl apologized verbally. “Still working on controlling her.” 

“It’s fine,” Kara huffed slightly and offered the clearly still frazzled teenager a comforting smile. “Are you okay?” 

The girl blinked at her like she was shocked by Supergirl’s question. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to formulate an answer. Before the girl could say anything, the boy with the glasses spoke up. 

“We didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“Well, actually, breaking and entering is against the law,” Supergirl pointed out. “This warehouse belongs to a friend of mine,” Supergirl gestured to where Lena was standing with a sulking Agent Danvers beside her. “She called me when she got the alert that this place was broken into.” 

“We’re sorry,” the tall, blonde girl who’d been in the bed of the truck spoke up. “We were just looking for a place to sleep. We’ve been on the road for a while.” 

Taking in their haggard appearances, that wasn’t too hard to believe. 

“It’s okay, I understand,” Kara relaxed her stance, lowering her shoulders and making herself appear a bit smaller by putting her arms at her sides rather than on her hips. The effect this had on the teenagers was small, but noticeable. “But I need you to come with my friends here.” 

“We’re not going anywhere.” The words were stated with defiance but also a little bit of fear. It was a little bit worrying, honestly. Six teenagers, their apparent pet dinosaur along for the ride, accidentally breaking into an old storage unit used by one of the most notorious criminals of the age just so they could have a relatively safe, out of the way place to sleep? Kara didn’t buy it. There had to be something else going on here. 

“You don’t really have a choice,” Supergirl gestured to all of the government agents around them. “But I promise we won’t hurt you. All we want is to get you guys somewhere safe and make sure you stay that way.” 

The kids didn’t really look like they believed her, but eventually they agreed. Alex ordered for the kids to be taken back to the DEO, gently ushering them into the vehicles. Kara moved over to Lena when all the kids were loaded up and preparing to leave. 

“We’ll figure out how they ended up here once we get to the DEO. You can stay here and check if anything is missing if you want.” 

“No, I don’t think there will be anything gone,” Lena shook her head. “They seem scared. Runaways, I think.” 

“I think so too,” Kara rested her hand on Lena’s arm for a moment and then pulled away. “I’ll get the dinosaur loaded up and then meet you back at the DEO.” 

“Are you okay? I’ve never seen your suit torn before,” Lena gestured to the diagonal slashes running across Kara’s abdomen. 

“I’m fine. I have a spare suit at the DEO and Winn can repair this one. Don’t worry about me.” 

Lena raised one eyebrow as if to tell Kara that of course she would worry. They were friends, weren’t they? Kara smiled back at her and then stepped away to help the DEO agents warily watching the prehistoric creature just across the way. Lena watched her go with a fond look, unaware of the eyes of the eldest Danvers sibling on her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Alex spoke up. 

“Ready to go?” Alex was looking at her with an expression that Lena couldn’t quite decipher. 

Lena nodded her agreement and followed ALex back to the car that they’d arrived in. A moment later, their small caravan of DEO vehicles made the short drive through the almost deserted city streets back to the DEO headquarters. 

**___**

When they arrived, they were let into the underground garage without hassle, a gaggle of unarmed agents waiting for them with Supergirl.

“We won’t hurt you.” Alex told the kids again as they climbed out of the vehicles. “Just, try to do as we say, okay?” None of the kids responded, but Alex hoped she had reassured them even if it was only a little bit. Something about these kids bugged her, not in a ‘these kids are clearly bad news’ way, more of ‘something terrible has happened to these kids.` That didn’t set well with her at all.

They unloaded the dinosaur first. She was surprisingly subdued, Alex thought, and moved with a kind of grace Alex didn’t know a dinosaur could be capable of. Shaking off that thought, Alex gestured for some agents to lead the well-behaved creature to one of the larger holding cells.

“We wouldn’t happen to have any whole chickens on hand, would we?” Alex raised an eyebrow as a lower agent looked at her skeptically. “I’m sorry, would you rather be handling a  _ hungry _ prehistoric creature?”

“No ma’am.” The agent answered. “We’ll get some food for her.” The creature looked to the purple haired girl who nodded while making shooing motions with her hands. The dino huffed but followed the path the agents mapped out for her.

“Let’s get these kids sorted now,” Alex whispered to her fellow agents as the rest of the kids climbed out of the van. “Put them in the interrogation rooms, separately.”

“Yes ma’am.” Vasquez nodded at Alex and then turned to the kids. “Follow me.”

The kids stayed silent, walking in pairs between the agents as they trailed after Agent Vasquez. The purple-haired girl and the girl with the pink cat hat, Molly, lead the way, followed by the shorter Asian girl and the blonde. The two boys brought up the rear of the group. They kept their heads down, Kara could see the tension in each of their shoulders, but they didn’t react to anything until they were each directed into different rooms.

“We are not splitting up!” The brunette girl spoke fiercely as the blonde was gently directed to a different room. “Karolina!” The girl pushed against the agents holding her back.

“Nico, go with them.” The blonde spoke. “They won’t hurt us.” Their eyes met, and a heavy moment passed between. Alex was considering stepping in when the brunette nodded her head and stopped fighting. “I’ll see you soon.”

Karolina moved into the room she was directed to, turning around quickly to try and catch a glimpse of the others before the door closed. She couldn’t see anything except the black glad agents and the red of Supergirl’s cape. She sighed heavily and turned back into the interior of the room. It housed only a small table with one chair on either side. All it needs is a glitchy light bulb, Karolina thought. Then, it’d be just like the interrogation rooms on those stupid cops shows she used to watch with her dad. With Frank. Who wasn’t actually her dad but was the only father Karolina had ever known.

The blonde sat in the chair facing the door, wondering if things would have been better if they had kept driving.

Down the hall, Nico paced the room she had been placed in. She thought about taking a seat in one of the chairs provided but she had too much restless energy to do so. She didn’t like being separated from the others, especially Karolina. Not after the last time they split up ended with Karolina severely injured and in the hands of the enemy.

Nico stopped short at the thought. The enemy. Was that really how she saw her parents now? How she saw her friend’s parents? Nico remembers how things had been before. Before they knew their parents were in a cult, before they were wanted for murder. Before Amy died. They had all been so close. One big happy family, even after Molly’s parents had died. Now, the family was fractured in two.

Nico had already lost one person she cared about to her parent’s pride. She wasn’t about to let that happen to anyone else.

In the room next to Nico’s, Molly sat on the floor near the back corner. She was as far away from the door as she could get, desperately trying not to lose control. She could feel her strength crawling under the surface of her skin, begging to be released in response to her fear. She could feel the glow in her eyes and desperately tried to stop it. She didn’t want to give up their secret, not again. She had already failed her friends once, when she accidently told the Wilders what they had seen. She wouldn’t do that again.

Gert was placed in the room across from Molly’s. She had claimed the chair facing the door, her fingertips tapping a complicated pattern on the table in an attempt to calm her nerves. It had been nearly three days since she last had her anxiety medication, and with Old Lace locked up somewhere else the panic was quickly setting in. They needed to get out of there, fast. Hopefully, before the nice ladies who found them realized who they were. Gert snorted. She didn’t have high hopes of that actually happening.

Chase was guided to the room across from Karolina, his backpack confiscated. He stood in the back of the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He tried to keep his face centered on a neutral expression, just in case anyone was watching. They didn’t need to know how scared he was. They should have kept driving.

Finally, Alex was in the room next to Chase. He had pulled the chair away from the table before sitting in it. His leg bounced with nervous energy. The people who found them had to know who they were by now. Everything was ruined. They’d be returned to L.A., charged with murder and kidnapping, and then no one would be around to stop their parents.

He should have kept driving.

**___**

In the DEO main hall, Alex and Lena surveyed the kids on the monitors.

“They’re scared,” Lena observed, “full of anxious energy, especially these two.” She pointed at the screens showing the boy who had been driving and the girl with purple hair.

“Winn, you got anything on these kids yet?” Alex asked, turning to the agent who was busy scrolling through a feed on his tablet. He sent the feed to show on the main monitors along with the security feeds and then turned to Alex.

“Yeah, and it’s not good.” He handed Alex his tablet with the six kids' faces on it so she could read the information first hand while the rest of the group looked at the main monitor. 

“Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru, Chase Stein, Alex Wilder, and Gertrude Yorkes,” Alex read off, “suspects in the homicide of Gibborim church member Destiny Gonzalez and suspected kidnappers of Molly Hernandez. Any information is to be reported to the LAPD immediately.”

“These kids are wanted for murder?” Lena asked as Kara rejoined the group. She had gone to help feed the dinosaur, as the agents were too scared to approach her, and then changed into the spare suit she kept at the DEO before she joined them. “There’s got to be something missing.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Kara said as she read the information on the kids over her sister’s shoulder. “Those kids looked scared to death when we found them.”

“Should we contact their parents? I’m sure they want to know where their kids are.” Lena suggested as Alex turned to look back at the monitors, connecting faces to names. “I’m sure they’re looking for them.” At least, Lena hoped that the parents would be worried about their children. Assuming that the children had normal parents, anyway. It’s not like all six kids came from families like the Luthors. 

“Don’t contact anyone yet.” Alex ordered. “Not until we get some answers.”

“Their names sound familiar.” Kara pointed out, her nose wrinkling as she tried to connect the dots in her head, but there were too many pieces missing. “Winn, do we have any more info on them?”

“Working on it.” Winn yelled over his shoulder before returning to what he was looking at on the computer. “They’re not connected to it yet, but both of the cars they were in were reported stolen three days ago. I’ll keep looking.” 

“In the meantime,” Alex moved away from the monitors and headed towards the interrogation rooms. “Let’s get some answers. I’m going to go talk with Alex. He was acting like he was in charge of them at the warehouse. Supergirl, Karolina seemed comfortable talking with you. See if you can get anything out of her. Agent Schott, keep us updated.”

Lena’s gaze remained fixed on the security feeds that showed in the kids sitting in their separate rooms. Kara was right when she said that something about their names sounded familiar. Lena felt like she had a memory buried deep in mind, but no matter how hard she thought about it she couldn’t pull it up. After a few moments the sound of a chair rolling across the floor pulled her out of her thoughts. 

“Have a seat Lena,” Winn told her with a short smile. “And welcome to the team. I’m glad Kara finally told you.” 

“She didn’t, actually,” Lena accepts the chair and makes herself comfortable next to Winn. “I figured it out a while ago, I was just waiting for her to trust me enough.” 

“She does,” Winn assures her. “I’ve known Kara for a while now and I don’t think she’s ever trusted anyone more than you. Except Alex, of course, but you’ve always been different for Kara. She’s never defended anyone like she does you.” 

“Really?” Lena couldn’t help the surprise that seeped into her voice. 

“Really,” Winn confirmed. “When she found out that you were on the Daxamite ship…” 

“Surely she was more worried about Mon-El.” 

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Winn shrugged. “She never loved him like she loves you.” 

There’s nothing momentous about the moment, but the way that Winn had spoken struck a chord deep within Lena. He sounded so sure, so knowing in his assessment of Kara’s emotions that it left Lena reeling. She knew that Kara loved her, of course she did. Kara was a naturally loving person and she showed her love for the people around her in a thousand different ways every day. But knowing that she was loved more than Kara’s own boyfriend? The man that Kara had chosen to share her heart with, however briefly? How could Lena compare to that? 

In short, she didn’t think that she could. Not when Kara wasn’t sharing the truest parts of herself with her. Not when she had the shared history of being from another planet to bond her to Mon-El. Lena was a friend, she’d accepted that she’d never be any more than that long before she realized Kara’s true identity. But, Winn had known Kara for much longer. He’d been Kara’s closest friend before Lena came into the picture. Surely, he knew what he was talking about. Lena just didn’t know what that meant for her, or Kara. 

“Oh wow,” Winn again pulled Lena from her thoughts, eyes wide as he read something off his tablet. 

“What is it?” 

“I figured out why the kids' names sound familiar,” with a snap of his wrist, Winn sent the article he was reading up to the main screen so Lena could read as well. 

_ Local charity owners and all around model citizens frantically search for missing children.  _

_ The Pride, a local charity run by five of the most influential families in Brentwood, recently released a statement asking that any information concerning their children be reported to L.A.P.D. The children in question, Karolina Dean, Chase Stein, Nico Minoru, Alex Wilder, Gertrude Yorkes are the primary suspects in the homicide of Gibborim Church Member Destiny Gonzalez, and the kidnapping of the sixth Pride child, Molly Hernandez.  _

_ Leslie Dean, the head of the Church of Gibborim, stated that “we do not believe that it was our children who did this horrible act, but that they were scared by the accusations thrown at them.”  _

_ “All we want is for our children to return home safe and sound,” continued Katherine Wilder, one of the city's top lawyers.  _

_ “If anyone has any information, please step forward,” begged Janet Stein, supported by her husband Victor, a revered engineer and scientist.  _

_ “We would be happy to offer a reward for any information that helps us find our children.” Tina and Robert Minoru offered, which was quickly backed by the rest of the Pride.  _

_ “Kids, if you see this, please come home. We’ll never stop looking,” Stacey Yorkes spoke through tears.  _

_ If you or anyone you know has any information about the six missing teenagers, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department.  _

_ Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Pride and we all wish for a safe return for their children.  _

The article contained a link to a website with more information about Pride and the people who ran it. Lena skimmed through the information quickly. All five families seemed to be perfectly normal, even if they were more affluent than most. There was nothing outwardly untoward about them. On the contrary it seemed that every article praised the efforts of one Pride family or another for technological advancements, accepting religious viewpoints, innocents proven to be innocents, and even work on curing cancer. 

“Okay, so their parents are rich,” Lena stated blithely. “That doesn’t explain why their names sound familiar.” 

“No, but this does,” Winn clicked on a small icon that Lena hadn’t noticed at first glance. The article that popped up after described an old business agreement between the Pride and LuthorCorp from when Lex had been CEO. “According to this, Lex partnered with them to fund some kind of advanced technology that they could use on their main project, building schools in lower income areas of L.A.” 

Abruptly, it clicked in Lena’s mind. The children’s names sounded familiar to her because she had interacted with their parents before. It had to have been at least a decade ago that Lex had dragged her to a gala in L.A., promising that what she saw would be worth the trip. Lena hadn’t seen anything but Lex leaving the gala with a group of people that she didn’t recognize. Once he had left, Lena had made her way to the hotel they were staying for the night on her own, an autographed photo of one Frank Dean her only memento from the night. She’s pretty sure she left the photo in the hotel when they left. 

“We need to let Alex and Kara know,” Lena said quickly. Winn nodded. 

“Already on it.” 

On the monitors, in the section that showed Agent Danvers talking with Alex Wilder, the Agent’s tablet lit up on the table. A discreet glance and then a nod showed that Alex understood what was on the screen, though her conversation with the teen boy hardly paused. In another section, Kara was just making her to the room with Karolina Dean inside when she paused, cocking her head slightly. Lena could barely see another agent passing by handing Kara a tablet and then moving away just as quickly. 

Watching Alex and Kara talk to two of the teenage runaways, Lena hoped they would get more answers soon. And maybe some coffee, too. It had already been late when she’d gotten the alert and now it was more accurate to call it morning than night. Lena didn’t expect to have a chance to rest any time soon. 

**___**

Alex tried not to jump when the door to the room he was in opened suddenly. One of the agents from the warehouse stepped in. Alex was relieved to see that she wasn’t overly armed now, though he gulped nervously at the sight of the gun she still wore strapped to her thigh. For a moment, he regretted ditching the gun Darius had given him when they met to trade the cash. 

“I’m Agent Danvers, FBI,” the woman introduced herself. Her voice was even, not unkind but also not angry. Alex could tell that she was trying to be as un-intimidating as possible, though the effect was lost due to her tense shoulders and weaponry. Alex had grown up with a lawyer for a mom, he could recognize what tactics were used to get people to talk. They wouldn’t work on him. 

There was a short stretch of silence, the tablet that Agent Danvers had carried in lighting up briefly. Alex glanced at it, but he didn’t see anything. The Agent herself had barely looked at whatever notification she had gotten before she was speaking again. 

“You wanna tell me what six kids and a dinosaur were doing in two stolen vehicles in an abandoned warehouse?” Agent Danvers asked, leaning her hands on the chair in a non-threatening pose.

“Sleeping.” Alex answered blandly, staring at his feet.

“That much, we figured out for ourselves thanks.” Agent Danvers replied. “We were more asking about how the kids of the richest families in Los Angeles ended up in National City, wanted for kidnapping and murder.”

Alex felt his heart stop for a second. They knew. He swallowed thickly. 

“I have nothing to say.” It was a weak defense, Alex knew, but it wasn’t like he had another choice. He couldn’t really ask for a lawyer. He knew if he did, his parents would probably be called, they’d come with the rest of Pride and all the running he and his friends had done in the last few days would have been for nothing.

“I don’t think that’s true.” Agent Danvers tried to catch the kids eye, but he refused to look up. “I think you’re scared, because you got caught in something over your head and now you’re in trouble.”

Alex looked up sharply at that, his eyes wide. He didn’t say anything.

“Struck a chord with that, didn’t I?” The agent was quiet for a moment after that, letting the kid work through his thoughts. She could read from his body language that she had struck a nerve. After another short stretch of silence, the agent spoke again. 

“We can help you, Alex,” she started in a gentle voice, “but we can’t do that if you don’t tell us what happened.”

Alex’s mind raced. The agent was onto them, he knew, but could he betray his friends? They had so many secrets, none of them his to share. His stomach clenched when he thought of the secret he kept from Nico, how it tore them apart before they had a chance to really be anything. The Staff, Karolina and Molly’s powers, Gert’s link with Old Lace. All their secrets balanced on the tip of his tongue, but Alex kept himself from saying anything.

“There’s nothing you can do,” he said instead. He opened his mouth to continue but closed it before anything more than a breath came out. He kept his head down, so he didn’t see the way that the agent’s gaze flickered to concern for a moment before she schooled herself again. 

“Our parents are too powerful,” Alex continued lowly. “You can’t do anything to help us.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” the agent moved so she was sitting across from him rather than standing. “But I definitely can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

The boy remained silent, his gaze still on the ground. Agent Danvers settled in to wait, hoping that Supergirl was having more luck that she was. 

**___**

Karolina looked up at the sound of her door opening, her fingers momentarily stopping their motions in fiddling with the clasp on her bracelet. She was surprised to see Supergirl entering the room, instead of one of the black clad agents she had occasionally heard passing by the door.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Kara said after she opened the door, seeing how the girl in the chair had jumped.

“You didn’t.” Karolina went back to fidgeting with her bracelet, her eyes glued to the crest on Supergirl’s chest. Of course, she knew aliens existed before this whole deal began. That was impossible to deny when people like Supergirl existed in the world, but before it had seemed like such an abstract concept. Like, sure there were aliens, but not like, aliens, aliens. Not the evil kind who wanted to take over the world or destroy it.

“It’s not actually an ‘S,’ you know.” Kara broke the silence, seeing where Karolina’s gaze was focused.

“What?”

“This,” Kara tapped a finger against her chest,” it’s not an ‘S.’ It’s a symbol, from my world.”

“What does it mean?” Karolina asked, her curiosity peaked. She’d never heard of the iconic gold and red letter standing for anything other than ‘Super.’

“El mayarah,” Kara said, “’Stronger together’ in Kryptonian.” Kara took a seat in the chair across from Karolina, making sure to keep her posture as relaxed and open as she could. Karolina seemed to sink back in on herself when Supergirl sat down, her hand returning to her bracelet.

“That’s a Gibborim bracelet, right?” Supergirl broke the silence that Karolina seemed to want to keep. The younger blonde looked up sharply. “Your mom’s the head of the church, right?”

“You know who I am?” Karolina asked, hating how shaky her voice came out.

“I know your name, Karolina Dean, and who your parents are,” Supergirl paused, “I know you and your friends are in trouble, in a pretty big way.” At the mention of her friends, Karolina leant forward.

“Are they okay? Can I see them?”

“They’re all fine,” Kara waited until Karolina released the breath she had sucked in at the news, “but I can’t let you see them yet. We need to know what’s going on here.”

“We didn’t kill that girl.” Karolina said, figuring that’s what Supergirl meant when she said they were in trouble. “I swear we didn’t.”

“I believe you.” Supergirl replied truthfully. The girl before her didn’t have a mean bone in her body. “But I need you to tell me who did, so I can help you.”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” Karolina said, her gaze aimed at the table.

“Try me.” Supergirl replied easily. She was more than ready to wait it out. Karolina was so close to breaking, she could feel it.

“Even if I did tell you, there’s nothing you could do about it. They’ve already gotten away with it. Just like they’ve gotten away with everything else.” Karolina mumbled the last bit to herself, but Kara heard her perfectly.

“What else did they get away with, Karolina?” Kara asked gently, but the girl didn’t hear her.

Karolina twisted her Gibb bracelet around her wrist as her mind buzzed. PRIDE had done it, they’d killed so many people over the years, they’ve murdered kids. They kidnapped Karolina. They turned their own kids in for murder. They sided with an alien over their family. Karolina could feel the emotions building in her throat. So much had happened, at such a fast pace. She hadn’t had the time to process it before. But now she had been sitting in a windowless room for god knows how long with only her thoughts to keep her company, until Supergirl walked in.

“Karolina?” The Kryptonian asked again after the girl in question remained silent. Her bracelet slid around her wrist, moving slightly so Kara could see the slight discoloration in the girls’ skin that came from years of wearing the bracelet in the same spot, leaving her with a stripe of skin that was less tan than the rest of her arm. Karolina was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize the clasp had come open until it was too late.

The silver bracelet fell to the floor with a clatter, but Kara was more concerned with the bright colors that seemed to slowly encompass the girl. Karolina felt a rush of heat through her body as her powers activated and looked at Supergirl with wide eyes. Supergirl had risen to her feet on instinct and Karolina followed, tripping over her chair as she backed away from the heroine before her. Her breaths came in sharp pants, her lights growing brighter in response to her fear.

Kara came back to her senses, relaxing her stance and putting her hands up in the universal sign of surrender when she realized Karolina was growing more terrified by the second.

“It’s okay, Karolina. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” Kara could hear the girl’s racing heartbeat. She inched around the table, making sure to move slowly and keep her hands up so Karolina could see that she wasn’t going to hurt her. “I’m going to pick up your bracelet, okay?”

Karolina nodded slightly, her lights still glowing brightly as Kara knelt down and gently picked up her bracelet. “Does this suppress your powers?”

Karolina again nodded as she watched Supergirl examine the round metal. Kara took a step closer and Karolina’s powers flared up in warning. She clenched her fists, afraid she would fire off a beam at the woman currently trying to help her. Kara backed away as the lights got brighter.

“Who do you trust to help you?” Kara asked softly. She knew the best thing to do when power got out of control was to be around the person who calmed you the most. She’s been in this spot many times before, except in those cases she was the scared girl and Alex was the one helping her.

“Nico,” Karolina answered without thinking. There wasn’t anyone else she trusted more to calm her down, or at least not freak out that she was glowing so brightly.

“Okay,” Kara reached for the door. “I’m going to get Nico. Everything will be okay, Karolina.” Karolina nodded, her eyes falling closed as she tried to get her breathing under control while Supergirl rushed out of the room.

Kara located Nico in a second, after Winn directed her to the room down the hall. She pushed the door open and spotted the girl leaning against the back wall.

“Nico?” She asked, just to make sure she was getting the right person.

“What’s it to you?” Nico asked, her usual snark coming out as a defense mechanism. Supergirl held up the hand still holding Karolina’s bracelet.

“It’s Karolina.” She explained, watching as Nico’s brow furrowed and her heart rate increased.

“What happened? Is she okay?” Nico asked rapidly, rounding the table so she was standing right inside the door.

“She needs you.” Supergirl said simply, gesturing for Nico to take the bracelet from her. Nico did so quickly.

“Where is she?” Kara didn’t answer the girl verbally, instead leading her to the room she had left Karolina in and pushing the door open for Nico. “Karolina?”

Karolina’s lights had dimmed slightly in the time it took for Supergirl to get Nico, but they were still astoundingly bright. Nico held the hand not holding Karolina’s bracelet up to shield her eyes as she made her way to the glowing girl.

“Nico?” Karolina asked softly as the girl approached her.

“It’s me, Karrie. I’m right here.” Nico reached up, caressing Karolina’s face gently. Karolina nodded against her hand, her eyes closing again. “It’s okay, Karrie. You’re safe. You’re not there anymore. You’re here, with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Nico continued to whisper reassuringly to Karolina, Kara pulled the door closed to keep any other agents from wandering in and stepped to the far corner of the room.

Slowly, Karolina’s lights began to dim. Kara could hear her breathing and heart rate return to a normal level and heard the click of the bracelet made as Nico fastened it back on her wrist. Karolina sagged against the wall, her energy drained, and Nico wrapped an arm around her waist to help steady her.

“Karolina?” Nico asked softly. Karolina inhaled slowly, through her nose.

“I’m okay,” she said, opening her eyes and looking down at Nico, “I’m okay.”

“Karolina, maybe you should sit down.” Supergirl suggested, reminding the two teenage girls that she was still in the room with them. She had been content to let them work it out on their own, until she noticed Karolina becoming paler by the second the longer she stood on her feet.

“I’m fine,” Karolina insisted, though she made no attempt to move from the wall or stand up straight.

“She’s right, Karo,” Nico spoke up after surveying the girl, “you’re really pale.” Nico placed her hand against Karolina’s arm. “And cold. Karolina?”

Before the girl could respond to Nico’s statement, Karolina’s eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed in exhaustion. Kara dashed to her side, catching Karolina before she could hit the ground.

“Karolina?!” Nico called, worry written all over her face.

“She’s okay,” Supergirl said in an attempt to calm the distraught girl. “Nico, we can help her. It’s probably just a side effect of using her powers like that.” Kara prayed she was right, and her words wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass later. Nico nodded slowly, calmed for the moment.

“We’ll take her to Agent Danvers, the agent who found you guys. She’s a doctor.” Supergirl explained, adjusting Karolina in her arms so she would be easier to carry. “Open the door and follow me.”

Kara carried the unconscious girl to her sister’s lab, Nico trailing behind, while ordering Winn to contact Alex over the comms and have her join them right away. Her sister walked in moments after Supergirl set Karolina down on one of the gurney’s.

“What happened?” Alex asked, pulling on gloves and moving to examine the unconscious girl.

“I’m not sure,” Kara replied. “She accidently took her bracelet off and then she just started glowing. The light was blinding, and it only got worse the more worked up she got. I tried to calm her down, but nothing was working. I went to get Nico and she helped calm Karolina down and put her bracelet back on. She was fine for a couple seconds and then she just collapsed.” Kara explained rapidly as Alex drew a bit of blood from Karolina and quickly ran some tests on it.

“There’s traces of solar radiation in her system.” Alex turned to Nico. “Do you know if her powers are powered by the sun?”

“I don’t know.” Nico stuttered out. “We only just learned about all this.”

“Okay, it’s okay. We can help.” Alex did her best to reassure the girl, who looked upset that she didn’t have any useful information. “Supergirl, take her to the sun room.”

“On it.” Kara picked the girl back up again, gesturing for Nico to follow her out. They moved a short way down the hall, entering the room Alex had moved their two yellow-sun immolator beds too, and placed Karolina on the one closest to the door. “These simulate the radiation from the sun,” Kara explained as she turned the device on. “If her powers are sun based, this should help her recharge.”

“Would it help if you took her bracelet off?” Nico asked, feeling uncharacteristically timid.

“It couldn’t hurt,” Alex entered the room. “Why don’t you take it off for her, Nico? She’d probably be more comfortable with that.”

Nico did as directed, unclasping the bracelet from Karolina’s wrist and then clasping it through her belt loop so she wouldn’t lose track of it. That seemed to make a difference, as Karolina’s color immediately improved. Nico remained by Karolina’s bedside, holding her hand, while Kara and Alex moved a little ways away to speak privately for a moment. Lena joined them a few minutes later.

“Someone wanna fill me in?” She asked the Danvers sisters.

“Karolina’s an alien of some kind, with powers that are charged through solar radiation, at least it seems that way.” Alex explained.

“We were talking, and her powers kicked in by accident. She got scared and over exerted herself.” Kara filled in the rest. Lena nodded her understanding. She had seen that much on the monitors in the main hall and heard Winn’s request that Alex meet Supergirl in the Med Bay. He was still monitoring the others. 

“And the other girl?” Lena looked back at Nico and Karolina.

“Nico’s the only one who could calm Karolina enough for me to get her here.” Kara replied. “Do you think we should let the rest of the kids know what happened?”

“Yes,” Lena replied quickly. “You both saw the information that Winn found. I don’t know what Karolina said but it’s fairly obvious that there’s more going on here. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Agreed. We’ll pull the other kids in,” Alex moved back towards the door to the sun room. “Supergirl, keep an eye on them?” 

“Got it,” Supergirl nodded, pulling Lena with her to the back corner of the room to give the teenagers a sense of privacy. “Are you sure their parents worked with Lex?” 

“Yes, but I don’t know what they did together. This could still be one of his elaborate plans.” 

“But you don’t think it is.” It was a statement not a question. Kara could read the doubt written on Lena’s face. 

“No, I think this is something else entirely.” 

Somehow, that was even more scary. 


	3. Tentative Allies

It took surprisingly little convincing for J’onn to agree to letting the rest of the kids join Karolina and Nico in the sun room. Kara and Alex had expected him to put up more of a fight. No matter how innocent they seemed, these kids were still wanted criminals after all, but J’onn had only nodded his assent before swiftly moving out of the room.

Truthfully, J’onn-while not actively reading the kids minds-did pick up on some passive thoughts. What he heard was enough to convince him that these kids weren’t truly criminals. He didn’t feel comfortable pushing further into their minds, and so left his team to solve the puzzle on their own while he waited for them to need his assistance. His one caveat was that he wanted the kids questioned individually before they were allowed to join Nico and Karolina. 

With that order in mind, Agent Danvers had decided to talk to Chase first. He was the only other kid who looked like he might have been able to put up a fight if necessary, Karolina being the first, and Alex had noticed the way he had taken a defensive stance in front of the two girls he’d been standing with. He seemed to be a protector, like Karolina. Alex had a feeling he’d be more willing to chat if it meant he could make sure his friends were okay. 

Chase had made a good effort at keeping quiet when Agent Danvers first walked in. He had started off trying to hold his tongue, honestly, he wanted too, but more than that he desperately wanted this whole ordeal to be over. These guys weren’t like the L.A.P.D., Chase rationalized to himself, they weren’t being paid off by his or his friend’s parents. They were just cops, even better, an FBI agent. Surely, they could help where the local police couldn’t? Chase hoped he wasn’t wrong.

“So, your parents are framing you for murder.” Agent Danvers spoke, bringing Chase out of his thoughts.

“Yes.” Chase had just finished explaining, in as little words as possible, that it was Pride behind the killing of Destiny, not the kids. “They’ve been doing this for years, and they’ve always gotten away with it.”

“Because the charity group is just a cover for a secret cult?” Agent Danvers questioned, wanting to make sure she had all the facts correct, at least as correct they could be from one kids’ story. Chase seemed to take her questioning as disbelief. 

“You don’t believe me.”

“I didn’t say that,” the agent was quick to reassure him. “But I need to make sure I have everything right. I can’t start an investigation into this based on half-truths or a well-spun story.”

“I am telling the truth,” Chase insisted with a frown.

“And I believe you, I really do,” Alex held up her hands in surrender. “I’m going to help you, Chase. I promise. So, I’m going to need you to tell me everything you can.”

“There’s some things that I can’t tell you,” Chase spoke softly, thinking about Molly’s powers, Nico’s staff, Karolina’s lights…Amy. “Somethings that aren’t my secrets to tell.”

“Chase,” Alex began, intending to insist that he give her all the information he can, but Chase interrupted her.

“But, if you let me see my friends,” he looked Agent Danvers in the eye, “we’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“You don’t have to cut a deal, kid.” Alex offered him a small smile, one he hesitantly returned. “You’re going to see your friends as soon as we’re done here.” 

“Really?” 

“Really,” the agent assured him. “In fact, I’ll let you go to them right now and we can continue talking later. But, first I want to warn you. Karolina lost control of her powers and over extended herself. She isn’t hurt and I have done what I can to help her. But she might not be awake when you see her.” 

“But she’s okay?” 

“She is. Nico is already with her.” 

Despite himself, Chase let a small smile grace his lips. Out of all of this craziness, he was glad that Nico and Karolina seemed to be finding their way to each other. He only hoped he and Gert could do the same. 

“Can I see them?” 

“Follow me.” 

Agent Danvers led Chase out of the interrogation room that he’d been sitting in for the last little while. He’s glad that he has someone to follow and something else to focus on for the next few minutes. It let’s him forget about the real reason that they are here, if only for a few seconds. The walk to the room where Karolina is resting is made in silence. Upon entering, he immediately stepped to the side of the bed opposite Nico. He took a moment to observe both girls, Karolina’s dim glow somewhat reassuring. Nico’s eyes shone with emotion, but he could see the bags beneath them, the exhaustion in her shoulders.

“What happened?” He addressed the shorter girl. It’s not that he didn’t believe what the agent said, but he doesn’t exactly trust her yet. Dimly he noticed Supergirl, who he would freak about meeting later on when there wasn’t as much going on, and a brunette woman quietly leaving the room. 

“She lost control of her lights,” Nico answered, her eyes not straying from Karolina’s face. “Agent Danvers said she probably over extended herself and getting some sunlight would help. That’s what these are for,” Nico indicated the lights producing a yellow glow. “She should wake up soon.”

“Are you okay?” Nico looked up to meet Chase’s eyes.

She nodded, “I’ll be better when she opens her eyes.”

Her gaze fell again, and Chase had the good grace to not push anymore. He didn’t understand what was happening between Nico and Karolina, but he could see the connection between them. It was something about the way they looked at one another. Even now, with Karolina unconscious and Nico visibly exhausted, there was a softness in her eyes. A light that eclipsed all else. Gert would probably call it heart-eyes, but Chase knew it was something deeper. The emotion in Nico’s eyes matched what Chase felt every time he looked at Gert. Luckily for Nico, Karolina returned the affection. Chase wasn’t sure he could say the same about Gert.

The others joined them one by one, Alex trailing in last and looking slightly annoyed that everyone else had moved before himself. He shuffled over to the bed, taking the only open spot at the foot of the bed. Nico and Molly lined one side of the gurney, Chase and Gert the other. Nico filled everyone in on what happened with Karolina before they began to quietly discuss what had happened while they had been separated.

The quietly discussed the conversations that they had had with Agent Danvers while they waited for Karolina to wake up. Alex assured them that he didn’t give up any information and he turned to Chase with accusing eyes when the taller boy admitted that he had.

“You told them?” Alex was incredulous.

“Only that it was our parents who killed Destiny!” Chase defended himself. “I told Agent Danvers that I wouldn’t say anything else until we were all together.”

“Why would you tell her anything?” Alex’s voice rose slightly and Kara, who had been standing just outside the sun room, letting the kids speak without actively listening to them, frowned.

“She’s a government agent Alex! Agent Danvers can help us.”

“We don’t know that! We don't know how far our parents reach is! We can’t trust anybody.” Alex demanded. The group had been so focused on the brewing argument, they failed to notice Karolina’s eyes fluttering open.

“You really think our parents have a man inside the FBI?” Gert interjected. “Alex, that’s ridiculous.”

“This whole situation is fucking ridiculous!” Alex yelled, his fists clenched.

“Guys stop fighting.” Karolina let the others know she was awake. Her lights brightened considerably as she sat up, her strength returned.

“Karolina!” Nico reached out, ready to steady Karolina in case she started to sway. “Karo, are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Karolina nodded, smiling as Nico placed her bracelet in her hand. Karolina clasped her bracelet in place, her lights fading as Alex and Chase resumed their argument.

“We can’t make stupid mistakes guys.” Alex insisted, glaring hard at Chase.

“And telling a federal agent that we’re innocent is a stupid mistake?” Chase asked rhetorically. “No, Wilder. That’s not how this is going to work.”

“Then how is it going to work, huh?” Alex yelled at the group. Gert jumped, and Molly’s eyes flashed yellow in response. “By spilling all our secrets and then putting on a light show?” He threw his hands up, pointing in Karolina’s direction.

“That’s not fair, Alex.” Nico spoke up, her words low. She stood close to the bed Karolina still sat on, their hands not quit touching. “This was out of her control.”

“Oh, I get it,” Alex spat, “Karolina gets forgiven at the drop of a hat, but poor, pitiful Alex, has to wallow in his guilt for days. Even if she messed up just as bad as I did.”

“This has nothing to do with that Alex.” Nico shook her head, opening her mouth to continue speaking before Alex stopped her.

“Of course not. Karolina only exposed our biggest secret to the government and who knows what she told them before she passed out. But, no, Karolina, she’s special. She doesn’t get yelled at. She gets fucking rescued.”

“Karolina didn’t do anything wrong.” Nico insisted, taking a step forward. “As for your betrayal, that’s between you and me.”

“Save it, Nico. I don’t want to hear it.” Alex waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t talk to her that way!” Karolina spoke up again, her shoulders tense. She rose from the bed, advancing on Alex. “You do not get to act like the saint here, Alex Wilder. You do not get to talk down to us, or yell at us, for thinking the FBI could help. We are all in this mess together and arguing isn’t going to help anything. So, shut up, sit down and stop acting like an ass before I knock you out.” Karolina ended her tirade with a harsh poke to Alex’s chest.

Alex looked like he wanted to fight back. Chase took a step forward, ready to help Karolina in controlling the angry teenager, but Supergirl swept into the room before anything else could be said, Agent Danvers and the brunette woman Chase had noticed earlier trailing behind her. It was clear they had heard some of what transpired before they came in, but none of the adults mentioned it.

“Karolina, good, you’re awake.” Agent Danvers calmly directed the agitated blonde back to the gurney she had vacated. “I’m going to run a few more tests, just to make sure you’re not in danger of passing out again.” Karolina nodded as the agent hooked her up to all manner of machines.

“Not that we don’t appreciate everything you're doing for us,” Gert spoke up suddenly after the silence stretched on too long for her to bear, “but is there any chance you guys could just, like, let us go?”

“Afraid not, kiddo,” Supergirl replied, “we believe that you guys are innocent, and we want to help catch the real criminals here; and, if you guys stay in National City, we can protect you from them.” 

“Once Karolina is cleared, we’re going to take you to a safe place in the city until we can get a safe house big enough for all of you set up.” The brunette woman spoke up. Chase thought that she looked familiar but he couldn’t quite put his finger on when he had seen her before. 

“Really?” Molly looked excited about the prospect of leaving the building. She felt caged in, especially with all the agents walking about.

“Really.” Supergirl assured her. “But the dinosaur is going to have to stay here until we can get to the actual safehouse.”

“That makes sense.” Gert whispered to herself, though she didn’t seem too happy about it. “Can I see her before we leave?”

“Make it quick,” Agent Danvers said after a silent conversation with Supergirl. “I’m almost done with the tests, as soon as Karolina is ready we are loading out.”

“Aye, aye captain.” Gert gave her a mock salute and then waited patiently for a moment while another agent named Vasquez came in to take the purple haired girl to the dinosaur’s holding cell.

“Where are we going to go?” Nico asked from her spot on the bed beside Karolina. Since the blonde didn’t have to lay down anymore, Nico happily claimed the seat beside her.

“My place.” The brunette woman answered. “It’s secure and safe. Although it will be a bit of a tight squeeze with all of us there.”

“All of us?” Molly asked, looking at Supergirl. 

“I’ll meet you guys there, with food. You guys like pizza, right?” Supergirl smiled when the kids nodded the affirmative.

“Oh my God, you’re Lena Luthor,” Chase said suddenly, looking at the woman he finally identified. Lena looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“I am,” she confirmed easily. “You know who I am?” 

“Of course, you’re one of the most brilliant scientists on the planet!” Chase’s excitement made Karolina smile, the fond expression on Gert’s face as she listened to Chase only making her smile grow. Nico’s hand slipped into hers and squeezed softly. “Also, one of my dad’s biggest annoyances. You’re kind of like my idol.” 

“Thank you,” Lena said, eyes wide in surprise. Supergirl grinned at her, her smile just a little brighter than normal. 

“Can you help me with my Fistagons?” 

“Your what?” 

“The gloves one of the agents pulled from the SUV. They’re-” 

“Chase, shut up.” Alex ordered swiftly, glaring at his friend. The other four teenagers turned to glare at him for a moment. Alex rolled his eyes and added, “Please.” 

“That’s enough with the arguing,” Agent Danvers interrupted before anything else could be said, though Chase still looked hurt as he looked at Alex. “Karolina is good to go. Let’s head out.” 

As the teenagers followed Agent Danvers out of the sun room towards the underground parking garage, Kara fell into step beside Lena. 

“Are you sure about bringing them to your place? We can hold them here until we have a safehouse.” 

“It’s fine, Kara. Clearly being cooped up in here is driving them up the wall,” Lena said calmly. “Besides, Winn told me that the DEO doesn’t have any safehouses for large groups readily available. They’ve clearly been through a lot already, I can at least give them somewhere safe to stay.” Lena paused for a moment. Kara could see her eyes light up with a new idea and ignored the way her heart gave a small flutter at the sight. 

“What is it?” 

“A safe place to stay,” Lena said, somewhat unhelpfully. Kara looked at her expectantly. “There’s a Luthor mansion outside almost every major city my family has ever lived in, National City is no exception. It’ll take a few days to get it cleaned and stocked and update security, but I’m more than willing to let the DEO use it as a safe house for them.” 

“Really? Lena, you don’t have to do that.” 

“I want to,” Lena assured her friend softly. “If these kids' parents are really as bad as Karolina and Chase said, then they deserve a safe place to land. No one understands trying to be better than your family than I do. I can help them in ways that there was no one around to help me.” 

“You don’t have to justify yourself to me,” Kara told her, letting their hands fall together for a moment and then letting go. “I just want you to know that you don’t have to do this, if you don’t want to.” 

“I know that. I’m sure the DEO can put together a safe house quick enough, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to keep the kids together, not to mention the deinonychus.” 

“No, I mean. You’re right, the DEO could possibly set them up with something but they’d likely have to separate. I just mean that, you don’t have to keep proving that you’re not like the rest of your family. I know that, and so does Alex and Winn and J’onn-Director Henshaw. I’ve known that for a long time. I should have trusted you with this sooner and I’m sorry about that.” 

“You don’t have to apologize to me Kara, I understand wanting to keep your secret. Which is something else that we’ll have to figure out with the kids.” Lena looked to where the kids were waiting for two vehicles to be prepared for them. “If we’re going to help them, we’ll need them to trust us. After what they’ve been through, keeping secrets from them won’t help.” 

“I know, I’ve been thinking about that too. I can’t be Supergirl around them all the time and expect them to tell me all their secrets. But I don’t want them to think that I’m using Supergirl as a tactic for something.” 

“What does Alex think?” Lena asked curiously. Kara shook her head. 

“I haven’t asked her yet. She’s been going through a hard time lately, I don’t want her to stress about this too.” 

“You said that earlier, that she’s going through a hard time. What happened?” 

“You remember Maggie? Detective Sawyer?” Kara waited for Lena’s confirming nod before continuing. “After the Daxamite invasion, Alex proposed to her. Maggie didn’t accept the proposal, she said that they were just getting started and she didn’t want them to move so quickly in their relationship. Alex accepted that at first and they kept dating but started arguing about little things all the time. I’m not sure what really happened but it boiled down to the two of them expecting different things out of their relationship. So they broke up.” 

“Poor Alex,” Lena said, looking over at the older Danvers. It was easy to see the pain behind her blank expression now that Lena knew to look for it and she silently hoped that Alex would overcome her broken heart sooner rather than later. Lena didn’t know Alex as well as she knew Kara, but she considered the agent a friend nevertheless and Lena never liked seeing her friends in pain. 

“Yeah, I feel really bad about it.” 

“It’s not your fault, Kara. Things happen in relationships sometimes.” 

“I know that, but this one might actually be my fault.” Kara shrugged, waving at Agent Vasquez as she began getting the kids into the two cars they would be using to take them to Lena’s apartment. Vasquez came over a moment later to have Lena input the correct address into her navigation before nodding respectfully at both women and moving to the driver’s seat of the second vehicle. 

“Lena, are you going to ride with us?” Agent Danvers asked, stopping Molly from climbing into the front seat of the first car. Lena looked at Kara, the silent question in her eyes answered with a short nod. She turned back to Alex and shook her head, gesturing to Supergirl. “We’ll meet you there.” 

“Why do you think Alex and Maggie’s break up is your fault?” Lena asked curiously as she and Kara watched the two cars pull out of the underground garage. 

“Something I told Alex after the invasion, about not letting the one you love go,” Kara shrugged again, gently pulling Lena into her embrace so she could fly them to Lena’s home. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah, after watching Mon-El fly away and thinking that I was going to lose you to the Daxamites too, I guess I was feeling a little down. When Alex told me that it was okay, I asked her if she loved Maggie and made her promise to not let her go. She proposed right after that.” 

“You never would have lost me, Kara,” Lean spoke softly, the words hidden in Kara’s neck as they left the garage and Kara took to the air. Lena’s arms wrapped around Kara’s shoulders and held tightly. “And that doesn’t make their break up your fault.” 

Kara didn’t respond verbally, though she held Lena a little bit tighter for the duration of their short flight. Lena knew that Kara’s guilt over the situation was far from gone, but she felt better knowing that she was able to provide at least a little bit of comfort for her best friend. 

**___**

Once the six teenagers arrived, they spread out around Lena’s loft. Nico and Karolina paired off, moving to the large windows in the dining room area of the loft while Chase, Molly, and Gert headed towards the couch. Only Alex remained by himself, standing close to the kitchen island.

“Make yourselves comfortable, guys. Pizza should be here in a few minutes. You guys got here faster than I thought you would.” Kara received non-committal grunts from the kids in response to her words, then turned to her sister and best friend. “Any trouble on the way over.”

“None,” Alex answered, “but that might be because Alex rode with Gert and Molly instead of Chase, Karolina and Nico. Whatever they were arguing about isn’t over yet.”

“I noticed,” Kara looked over the group. Alex had joined Molly, Gert, and Chase in the living room, but he sat across from them in one of Lena’s chairs instead of on the couch with the other three. Karolina and Nico remained by the window.

“You sure you’re okay to watch all of them?” Alex inquired.

“Of course, Alex,” Lena assured her, “we agreed this would be best until we could get them somewhere safer.” Karolina and Nico drifted over to the others as the TV flickered on. “Which I may have a way to do as well. We’ll keep you updated.”

“Call me if you have any problems,” Alex told them, giving both of them a quick hug-much to Lena’s surprise-before heading towards the door. “And ask Gert if Old Lace has any food preferences.” 

“Old Lace?” 

“The deinonychus, I’m assuming.” Lena answered Kara’s question as Alex left them to watch the runaways on their own. They moved over to the kitchen island to sit on the stools there while they waited for the pizza they’d ordered to arrive. 

“How did you recognize the type of dinosaur on sight?” 

“I was wondering that too, actually,” Gert spoke up from the living room. “I didn’t even know what species she was until my parents told me.” 

“The talons and teeth gave it away,” Lena answered swiftly, waving off the idea that the identification was any kind of big moment. “Although I’m not sure how she was strong enough to tear up your suit.” 

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Gert apologized to the superhero with a slight blush coloring her cheeks. 

“Don’t worry about it, my suit can be repaired. Also, that’s why I have extras,” Supergirl gestured to the untorn suit she was wearing now, absent any claw marks or tears. 

“Is it comfy? Your suit, I mean,” Karolina joined the conversation as she and Nico joined the group, both of them sitting on the back of the couch so they were facing Lena and Supergirl. Molly slid over to sit beside them while Gert and Chase moved to sit on their knees with the fronts of their torsos pressing into the couch cushions so they could all talk. 

“It’s not a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but it’s comfy enough I suppose.” Kara answered the question easily. 

“Do you get cold?” 

“No, but that’s because I don’t feel the temperature’s the same way you do. Every temperature is comfortable to me.” 

“Have you ever gotten stuck or like, wrapped up in your cape?” Molly asked, making Kara chuckle while the other kids looked embarrassed that Molly asked such a question. 

“Not stuck, exactly, but it wasn’t always easy to fly around with the cape. It took a little bit of practice to get the technique down.” 

“Did you crash a bunch?” 

“I wouldn’t say ‘a bunch,’ but probably more times than I’d like to admit. Having powers is no joke.” 

“No kidding,” Molly agreed. “I picked up a car the first time I used mine.” 

“Oh?” Supergirl questioned lightly, watching with interest as Molly deflated slightly under the looks that her friends sent her way. Alex’s gaze, even though Molly couldn’t see his expression since he was sitting behind the rest of them, was the most piercing. Sensing the rising tension, Supergirl was quick to speak again. “You don’t have to tell me anything that you don’t want to, but I promise we’re here to help you. We want you to feel safe with us.” 

“How can we not? You’re Supergirl.” 

“But that’s not all she is,” Alex spoke up for the first time since they had arrived at Lena’s loft. He was still sitting in the chair he’d originally chosen, arms crossed over his chest. 

“What are you talking about, Alex?” Gert asked, probably the only one of their friend group able to talk to him without being immediately pissed off. They all loved Alex like a brother, but his attitude was really getting on their nerves. 

“She can’t be Supergirl all the time, right? She's gotta be someone else too.” 

“Why does that matter?” Karolina asked. 

“Because why should we tell her our secrets when she isn’t telling us hers?” 

“She’s fucking Supergirl, Alex,” Chase retorted. “She doesn’t have to tell us her secrets.” 

“Then how can we trust her?” 

“Maybe because she’s a literal superhero?” 

“Guys, calm down,” Supergirl’s tone was commanding and made the brewing argument halt in its tracks. Lena rose swiftly to bring the pizza inside when the doorbell rang while Kara handled the teenagers. “It’s alright for Alex to be wary of me and he’s right. You might not trust me all the way since you don’t know who I really am.” 

“You’re not obligated to tell us anything.” Nico said, her tone biting. Kara had a feeling that she was referencing something else, a theory that was confirmed by the way Alex was unable to meet Nico’s gaze. 

“No, but I want you to trust me. I want you to believe that I’m here to help you, that we’re here to help you,” Kara amended her statement as Lena walked back to the island with her arms laden with pizza boxes. Supergirl helped her set them down and spread them out. 

“Does she know who you really are?” Alex asked pointedly, making a gesture in Lena’s direction as the other woman pulled out enough plates for all of them. 

“She does, as does Agent Danvers and Agent Vasquez, and a few other agents. Everyone who knows has accepted the fact that knowing my secret identity comes with risks.” 

“Risks?” Molly asked before anyone else could, accepting the plate Lena held out for her and reaching for the first box of pizza. 

“Supergirl has a lot of enemies, and many of them wouldn’t think twice before using someone else to get to her,” Lena explained simply. “The more people who know about her identity, the more people who might be in danger because of it.” 

“We’re already in danger,” the words come out as more of a grumble than Kara had been expecting and it makes her heart clench for the six kids in front of her. 

“I know, and I want you to know that I’m willing to tell you.” She swallows and glances at Lena. “I’ve almost waited too long to tell people before, and nearly broke their trust by doing that. I don’t want to do that to you guys.” 

“You don’t owe us anything, Supergirl,” Karolina says warmly. “You’ve already done more for us than we expected, you and Lena.” 

“Still, if you want to know, the offer is there. But you have to promise to keep it a secret, and you’ll have to sign a lot of papers promising that once you’re legal adults.” 

“We can keep a secret,” Nico promised. “The only people we talk to are all standing in this room.” 

“That’s a fair point, actually,” Gert says with a slight laugh, the last in line before Alex to claim her pizza before returning to the living room. All six teenagers set their plates on Lena’s coffee table and then sink to the floor to eat. 

“Okay then,” Kara turns towards Lena. “I’ll have to run home to get some day clothes. You’ll be alright with them?” 

“Of course,” Lena assures her. “Grab some clothes for tomorrow too, you can sleep with me tonight.” 

“Right.” Curiously, a flush makes its way over Kara’s cheeks. “I’ll be back in a jiffy. Save me some pizza!” She calls and then she waves to the kids and makes her way out via the balcony just off the living room. 

“Did Supergirl just say ‘jiffy?’” Gert asks, her pizza held in place halfway to her mouth. 

“I’m more curious about the way she blushed,” Nico’s voice had taken on a teasing quality, one that Lena pointedly ignored as she fixed her own plate and reclaimed her seat at the kitchen island. “I wasn’t paying attention when we were, wherever we were earlier, but I’m definitely sensing a vibe there.” 

“There’s definitely chemistry,” Gert agrees, her grin widening. “Almost like the chemistry that’s developed between the two of you.” She gestures with the hand not holding her pizza to where Karolina and Nico are practically leaning against one another. 

“Which is part of why Alex wanted to leave Karolina behind, right?” Chase’s words are pointed and challenging. He sees both Alex and Nico stiffen at the implication. 

“I wasn’t aware of them being…” he trails off for a moment and then clears his throat. “At the time. And I was always going to come back for you, Karolina. I just wanted to get somewhere for us to go after that.” 

“It’s okay, Alex. I get it.” The easy acceptance that comes from Karolina doesn’t surprise any of them, though what comes after does. “I’m sorry, too. About all of this. I never meant to hurt you.” 

“You can’t help how you feel,” Alex shrugs like it doesn’t matter but all of them know him better than that. “I am glad we got you back, though. And I wish you both the best.” 

“Thanks, Alex,” Nico offered him a small smile. They could all tell that Alex was still frustrated with their whole situation, that he didn’t trust Lena or Supergirl, and they were all aware that he was probably planning a way for them to escape somehow. But that was okay. He was trying. He’d apologized and he clearly meant it. Nico felt like she was on the way to getting her best friend back, since that’s what Alex had been before this mess started. It would be nice to get back to that easy camaraderie they used to have, before they lost Amy and their trio became a duo. 

**___**

When Supergirl returned to Lena’s loft a short time later, she was dressed in a pair of jeans and an old college t-shirt, a loose jacket over her shoulders and an overnight bag in her hands. She came in through the front door rather than the balcony that she had left from and reintroduced herself to the six teenagers. 

“A pair of glasses and a different hairstyle?” Gert asked skeptically after Kara had taken her glasses off and pulled her hair out of the bun she’d thrown it into. “That’s your disguise? How does that even work?”

“Apparently, not very well,” Kara grumbled lightly. Lena shot her an amused smile. “But for the most part, that’s it. There are a few other differences, Kara Danvers is a little more soft spoken and meek than Supergirl.” 

“Does Superman use the same disguise?” Chase questioned. Kara nodded. 

“Mostly, though he doesn’t have to fake being clumsy.” 

“You fake being clumsy?” 

“Physically clumsy, yeah. No one suspects the bumbling reporter who always drops stuff to be the savior of the city.” 

“Although I had my suspicions when you told me you flew to L-Corp on a bus.” Lena pointed out, making Karolina, Gert, and Molly laugh. 

“I was nervous! It was my first interview!” Kara defended herself, flicking a stray bit of cheese in Lena’s direction. 

As the conversation carried on, Lena felt her eyelids beginning to grow heavy. It had been a long day, afterall. By the time the kids had been brought into the sun room at the DEO, National City had just been waking up for the day. Lena had called Jess to reschedule her day when it became apparent that she wouldn’t be able to go to the office. The kids had arrived at her home just after three that afternoon and it was now nearing dark again. The fading sun was painting the skyline of National City in hues of pinks and oranges when Lena had to conceal a yawn. 

She wasn’t the only one who was feeling the exhaustion of the day. All six runaways were showing clear signs of exhaustion in their slumped shoulders and the bags under their eyes. They’d been on the road for at least 3 days when they’d broken into the warehouse. Lena didn’t want to think about how long it had been since they’d had a good night’s sleep. 

Unfortunately, there were still a few questions that needed to be answered before they could get any rest. 

“Will you tell us how you guys ended up here?” Kara asked softly after a lull in the conversation. The group had migrated back to the couch, all of them sitting together now that they’d cleared the air a bit from their earlier arguments. Lena moved to sit on the coffee table in front of the couch while Gert and Chase shared worried glances, as did Karolina and Nico.

“You don’t have to,” Lena was quick to reassure them

“We are going to keep you guys safe no matter what.”

“It’ll just be easier when we know what we need to keep you safe from.”

“I still don’t think we can trust you.” Alex said, looking to his friends for backup.

“What other option do we have, Wilder?” Chase asked rhetorically.

“We’ll tell you,” Nico said, continuing after Karolina nodded encouragingly, “but it’s a long story.”

This time it was Kara and Lena who shared a glance. “We’ve got nowhere else to be.” Lena spoke for the both of them. Kara moved to sit next to Lena on the coffee table.

“It started a few weeks ago, with our parents annual Pride meeting,” Nico began their tale. “We stopped going when our parents had their meetings two years ago, but that night we decided to get together. We ended up in Alex’s dad’s study and found this secret passage to a room beneath the house. Our parents were down there, wearing these long red robes.”

“We weren’t sure what was happening, we couldn’t hear them. There was this dome around them.” Karolina continued. “Then they brought out this girl. I knew her from the Gibb church, I had talked to her earlier that day actually. She was sweet.” Karolina looked down, obviously upset. Nico squeezed her hand. “They made her drink something out of this chalice and then laid her down in this big black box thing.”

“Then there was a bright light and when it faded it was just our parents standing there.” Molly picked up the story. “I couldn’t really see, so I tried to take a picture of them. They saw the flash and almost caught us while we were running out, but we managed to get the door open.”

“We didn’t know for sure that our parents had killed her, but it was the only thing that made sense.” Chase carried on. “After that, we did some digging into our parents' secrets and found out that they had pretty much been lying to us for our entire lives. Everything they had, they had because of this guy, Jonah.”

“We don’t know much about him, honestly. Only that he has some sort of fascination with Karolina.” Karolina looked like she wanted to speak up but decided against it and let Nico keep speaking. “We found out that the school they said they were building was just a cover for a giant tunnel they were digging. We tried to fill it in while our parents thought we were at a dance. We tried to push a truck into the hole. Molly has incredible strength, but she falls asleep almost immediately after using it.” Curiously, Nico, Karolina, Gert and Chase blushed at the mention of the dance.

“They caught us. I tried to fight off Jonah, but he was so much stronger than I am.” Karolina said.

“There was a blast, like an EMP went off and they took Karolina back to the Gibb church. We rescued her and were looking for a bus out of the city when our parents turned us in for kidnapping and murder. We stole a Gibb van and then the two cars you found us in and took off as soon as we could. We’d been driving for almost three days when Agent Danvers and the rest of you found us.” Nico finished the bulk of the story.

“And they brought you to the DEO for questioning,” Kara filled in the rest of the story.

“I thought Agent Danvers worked for the FBI?” Chase questioned.

“No, that’s her cover. Technically, the branch she works for doesn’t exist. The Department of Extranormal Operations.”

“Ah, okay,” said Gert, “the alien handling branch.”

“Basically,” Kara shrugged. Gert wasn’t wrong after all.

“And that’s everything?” Lena asked the group at large. Karolina looked up sharply.

“Not quite.”

“Karo?” Nico asked curiously.

“There’s one more thing we know, about Jonah.” Karolina looked directly at Nico. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you guys after everything that happened but,” she took a deep breath, “he’s my father.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Jonah,” Karolina turned her gaze to Gert in response to her question, “he’s my biological father.”

“That's why he lights up, too.” Nico whispered, more to herself than the others. Karolina nodded in response. Kara and Lena shared another look.

“Thank you for trusting us with this.” Kara said. “We’ll figure out what they were after, and we’ll put a stop to it.”

“You believe us?” Molly looked stunned and hopeful in equal measure.

“Completely,” Lena assured her. “I promise.” Molly smiled, a real smile that didn’t seem strained and one that reached her eyes, for the first time since Kara had met her. “Kara?” Lena gestured for the blonde to move away from the group.

“I can’t believe these kids have been through so much,” Lena said once she and Kara were in the kitchen area and out of earshot of the kids, “no wonder they were so scared when we found them.”

“Poor kids deserve a break.” Kara agreed softly, watching the six teenagers as they silently digested the conversation they’d just had. “Do you think we’ll be able to prove that they’re innocent?” 

“We’ll find a way,” Lena promised, laying her hand on Kara’s arm and rubbing her thumb back and forth in a soothing manner. “But for now, we should let them sleep. Not all of us have Kryptonian stamina.” 

“Okay. Blankets and pillows?” 

“I’ll grab them.” 

Karolina rose from her seat to help Lena and Kara pass out blankets and pillows for the group when she noticed them carrying the large stacks back down the hall from where she assumed Lena’s bedroom was. Molly and Gert shared the couch, each laying with their head on the arm of the couch and their feet in the middle. Chase laid on the floor in between the couch and coffee table, his upper body below Gert’s side of the couch. Alex claimed the floor on the other side of the coffee table. Nico spread a blanket on the floor near the window, placing two pillows on the edge, one for her and one for Karolina. Karolina shot her smile and tossed another blanket to Nico for them to cover up with. Kara made sure they were all settled before following Lena down the hall to the master bedroom. 

Lena had already changed into her sleep clothes as was in the process of pulling back the blankets when Kara entered the room, closing the door behind her. Lena smiled at her and gestured to the open door to the en suite, telling her that she was free to shower and change if she needed to. Kara did so quickly, towel drying her hair with a little super speed so she wouldn't drip water all over Lena’s bed. Lena was laying down with her tablet in hand when Kara emerged from the bathroom. 

“Thanks for letting me stay the night,” Kara said as she climbed into the bed with Lena, carefully remaining on her own side as she settled in. 

“Of course, it’s been a while since we had a sleepover,” Lena smiled at her and then set her tablet down and reached to turn off the lights. Kara hummed softly. Lena settled into the bed, laying on her side facing Kara, her hand stretched out in the space between them. 

Kara mirrored her position, their fingertips barely brushing across the top of the duvet. 

“Good night, Kara.” 

“Good night, Lena,” 

Kara closed her eyes and focused her hearing. She listened as the kids settled down, soft voices reaching her ears that she made a point to not listen hard enough to tell what they were saying. The voices faded one by one as they drifted off and once Kara was sure that all six of them were asleep, she let her hearing focus on another sound nearby. 

The steady rhythm of Lena’s heart lulled Kara to sleep as well. 


	4. Home Sweet Home

The drive out of the city was made mostly in silence, the six teenagers split between two vehicles with Kara following behind on Alex’s motorcycle. Alex and Vasquez each drove a DEO suburban, the back seats down in Alex’s to house the surprisingly docile dinosaur to the address Lena had texted Kara that morning. The teenagers were happy to get out of Lena’s loft. It was better than the DEO, but with six kids it was pretty cramped.

“Are we sure this is the right place?” Vasquez asked Alex’s over their comms. She had seemed surprised that morning when Agent Danvers asked her to assist in transporting the runaways to their new safehouse, but she was never one to hesitate in following orders. On the drive over to Lena’s apartment, Alex had explained that she’d asked Vasquez to come because the kids were already somewhat familiar with her and she was the only agent who wasn’t obviously scared of Old Lace. 

“This is where Lena said to bring them.” Kara responded as the caravan drove down a winding driveway that led to an impressive, if a but run down, mansion.

“Where is here?” Alex asked while climbing out of the driver’s seat. “Has she said anything else?” Alex wasn’t sure how comfortable she felt leaving these kids in the hands of Lena Luthor, no matter how much her sister trusted her. Sure, she had helped out during the Daxamite invasion, but Alex didn’t know her that well. Kara had assured her that everything would be fine so Alex elected to trust Kara’s instincts when it came to the Luthor heiress.

“Here is an old family mansion.” Lena had come out of the mansion’s double door entrance, dressed as perfectly as always. It was almost a shock for the six teenagers to see Lena dressed for work. They’d gotten used to seeing her in jeans and sweaters since she’d been working from home for the last few days. “It’s a little run down, but far enough off out of the way that they’ll be safe here.”

“Wow, Lena this place is incredible.” Kara spoke after pulling off her helmet. Lena smiled at her, though she seemed a bit struck by Kara’s appearance. Even though Kara couldn’t get hurt if she ended up crashing the bike, she still preferred to ride safely. That included wearing a helmet, a leather jacket, and leather pants. All six teenagers definitely noticed the way that Lena’s gaze lingered on Kara for a moment. 

“I’m glad you like it.” Lena finally spoke after watching Kara dismount the motorcycle and clearing her throat loudly. To the side, Vasquez had pressed her lips into a thin line to keep her expression neutral while Gert held a hand over her own mouth to keep from laughing. Karolina shared a glance with Nico and let out a small snort. Alex missed the entire ordeal, too busy opening the back of her suburban so Old Lace could crawl out. “I’m sorry it took so long to get it set up.”

“Lena, it’s only been two days.” Alex rolled her eyes. Once Old Lace was out of the car, Alex closed the back and turned towards Vasquez. She dismissed the agent with a nod, which Vasquez returned before she climbed back into the driver’s seat of the second SUV and made her way back to headquarters. Molly waved at the retreating car and smiled when Vasquez flashed the panic lights at her. 

“Of course, it isn’t in the best condition. The outside could use some work, but I made sure the plumbing and electric were all up to date and had all the bedrooms furnished.” Lena led the group inside the mansion. They found a drab interior, the wallpaper crumbling off the walls and some fixtures clearly worse for wear, along with a couch that looked brand new and a sizable television. “Still need to stock the kitchen, but I figured the sooner you guys could get here, the better.”

“You did all this in two days?” Gert asked, running her hand along the back of the couch.

“You’d be surprised what can happen when you have a lot of money and Luthor for a last name.” Lena said, shrugging as if it was no big deal. “All the bedrooms are on the second floor. The one right off the stairs to left is mine, but you can pick any of the others for yourselves.”

“Really?” Molly asked, her excitement clear. Lena nodded, and Molly raced for the stairs Lena pointed too.

“I guess we’re going upstairs then.” Gert mumbled, following her sister with Chase and the others trailing behind.

“This place really is amazing.” Kara commented as Lena led the adults to the kitchen after the kids departed. “I can’t believe you did all this in two days.”

“Thank you for helping us with this Lena.” Alex said as she followed behind Kara and took a seat on one of the stools around the island in the kitchen. “I don’t know where we could have put them if you didn’t have this place.”

“I’m sure you would’ve figured something out.” Lena pulled some water bottles out of the fridge, the only thing she had to offer until she could make it to the store. 

“We’re not equipped to handle this large of a group.” Alex explained, “all of our safehouses are equipped for two, maybe three people. Our only option would have been to split them up.”

“Which none of them would like.” Kara agreed with her sister, gratefully accepting the water that Lena handed to her. .

“And I had no clue what to do with Old Lace.”

“Well she’ll have plenty of space to run around here without anyone seeing her. I amped up the security a bit. We’re not completely off the grid, but we’re as close as we can get without completely destroying all our phones. I’m confident no one will find us here unless we want them too.” Lena took a sip of her water.

“I can’t believe you did all this so quickly.” Kara said, in awe. “We can’t thank you enough for this, Lena.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Kara,” Lena smiled at her. “I’m happy to help, however I can. These kids deserve a chance.”

“Speaking of the kids,” Kara said, sharing a look with Alex. “We need to figure out what their parents are up too, and how to stop them.”

“And we need to do it quickly. Their parents have to be looking for them, and the longer it takes to find them, the more danger they will be in.” Alex chimed in. “We can’t let that happen.”

“And we won’t.” Kara spoke to reassure everyone in the room. “J’onn has eyes on the parents already but we can’t do anything until we have proof. Right now, we have the kids’ word against the parents. We need more.”

“It’s going to take time to get anything solid.” Alex added. “These people are well-respected and connected. They’ve been careful about all this for who knows how long. They were only caught by sheer dumb luck,” Alex sighed. “We’ve got to be patient.” Alex hated this part of the job, waiting for something to happen. It made her antsy.

“In the meantime,” Lena said, “there’s plenty of room for both of you to stay here, if you’d like too.”

“I think I should.” Kara said. “Just in case. Karolina doesn’t have control over her powers without her bracelet and we don’t really know anything about Molly’s strength yet.”

“That’s a good idea.” Alex said. “I’ll stay in the city, but I’m only a call away if you need me.”

“Have you thought about what to do in the meantime, while we’re looking for answers?” Kara directed her question to Lena. “I mean, I’m sure they’ll be entertained for a while with just exploring this place but that won’t last long.”

“She’s right,” Alex jumped in, “they seem to get restless pretty easily. They’ll need something to keep them occupied, or at least to keep their minds off what’s going with their parents.”

“Aside from getting them clean clothes, hot showers, and warm food, I have no idea.” Lena admitted. “I was mostly worried about getting them here safely.”

“What about helping Karolina and Molly explore their powers?” Alex suggested. “If there’s anyone who can help two superpowered kids learn control, it’s you, Kara.”

“That’s a good idea,” Kara hummed, “but what about the others?”

“Maybe we should ask them when they come back downstairs? I’m sure they’ll all figure out their rooming situation pretty quickly.”

There was a loud thump from the floor above them, followed by yelling.

“Or maybe not.” Lena chuckled.

“Think we should check on that?” Kara asked. Alex shrugged.

“They’re probably fine.”

**___**

“This place is great.” Molly led the way as the six teenagers meandered around the second floor of the mansion. Gert seemed to be the only one interested in keeping up with Molly’s running commentary as she moved down the hall. While the youngest member of the group remarked on every single thing they passed from the crumbling wall paper to the weird ass painting on the left wall just passed the third door, the others only hummed if addressed directly. They were each too lost in their own thoughts, replaying the whirlwind of events that had happened since they ran from L.A.

As if running in the first place wasn’t crazy in and of itself, that they ended up in National City being helped by  _ Supergirl  _ and  _ Lena Luthor  _ was fucking insane, at least in Nico’s opinion. Nico still had trouble believing any one would help them, not to mention two of the most powerful women in the world. It felt like too much of a coincidence. 

Lena had explained how they’d been caught at the warehouse the day before, answering the question honestly when Chase had asked. All six of them were shocked when they realized they’d broken into an L-Corp warehouse, even worse that it was one that used to be run by Lex. His crimes had never really affected their lives in L.A., but it was impossible to live in this world and not know what he had done. Now that they knew Kara, Supergirl, personally, Nico found it even harder to believe that anyone would be justified in wanting to kill someone simply because they weren’t born on earth. 

Then again, Nico also had trouble believing someone as amazing as Karolina would want to even stand next to her, let alone hold hands, but that didn’t stop the blonde from doing both of those things. Nico’s pretty sure Karolina’s hand in hers, thumb rubbing softly along the back of her hand, is the only thing keeping her sane at that point.

“Woah, Nico, this room was like, made for you.” Molly’s words finally pulled Nico from her thoughts. The goth girl moved to the front of the group, pulling Karolina with her because she didn’t want to let go of her hand, to look into the room Molly had just entered.

“Did you say that just because the bedding is black?” Nico asked, amused, as she and Karolina entered the room.

“No,” Molly stuck her tongue out, “I just think it matches your whole aesthetic.”

“Right,” Nico surveyed the room, the smell of paint reaching her nose, not quite fresh but not quite stale either. She wondered if Lena had had all the bedrooms repainted. The walls were painted a navy blue, accented with a dark grey that matched the pillow cases on the bed. The sheets and blanket were both black, with a soft-looking grey blanket laying at the foot of the bed. The furniture seemed to be a complete set, the bed, dresser, and side table made out of the same dark wood. “What is my aesthetic exactly?”

“Darkness and magic.” Well, she had a point.

“So, I guess we know where Nico is staying,” Chase remarked, his eyes lit with mischief as he looked at the girl indicated, still holding hands with Karolina. “Although this place doesn’t really match Karolina, does it?”

“Well, it’s not my room, so…” Karolina trailed off, looking anywhere but at Nico. Chase held in a laugh at the identical pink cheeks the girls sported. Gert caught his eye, smiled, and then smacked him on the arm.

“What was that for?” He asked, faking a pout. Gert rolled her eyes and decided not to answer. Instead, she moved to the far side and opened the dark curtains. Sunlight flooded the room, and Molly came over to help her sister open the curtains all the way, revealing a double door leading to a small balcony. Karolina perked up at the sight of the doors and dragged Nico out onto the balcony.

“Woah.” The view that greeted them was of what had once been a spectacular backyard but was now just as run down as the rest of the house. They could see the remains of a garden beyond where the grass ended, where Old Lace poked around the weed-filled beds. An empty pool filled with dried leaves sat pitifully on the left-hand side of the yard. Honestly, it reminded Alex of the view from a window on the second floor of his parents’ house in L.A., all that was missing was the guest house.

“I wonder who lived here before.” Molly ran her hand along the balcony railing.

“Lena said she owned the place, and she had to get the electric and plumbing fixed.” Gert supplied. “It’s probably been in the Luthor family for generations.”

“It’s been abandoned for a while though, by the looks of it.” Chase pitched in.

“I thought the Luthor’s lived in the Metropolis area,” Nico said, “at least before Lena moved to National City.”

“They did.” Gert agreed. “Maybe this is like an old vacation home or something?” She shrugged. None of them wanted to think about any other Luthor living. It was weird enough knowing that they’d stumbled upon a place that Lex might have been storing the weapons he used against the very person who had promised to help clear their names. They didn’t know how to feel about possibly sleeping in the same place that he used to sleep. Though, given the general state of the mansion, that didn’t seem very likely. 

“We should find rooms for the rest of us,” Chase suggested. Gert nodded in agreement and turned to go back inside the mansion. Molly followed her sister, with Alex trailing behind. Karolina turned to do the same only to be stopped by Nico pulling on her hand.

“Nico?” Karolina questioned, allowing herself to be pulled back to Nico. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Nico nodded, suddenly feeling much less confident then she had been when she stopped Karolina from leaving with the others. She looked up, finding Karolina’s caring eyes already trained on her. Nico felt herself melting a bit. Karolina had that effect on her. “I mean, as okay as it can be.”

“Are you sure?” Karolina didn’t look convinced and for a second Nico wished the blonde didn’t know her so well. Karolina had always been able to see through her mask, when they were kids, when they spent two years not speaking, and even more so now, with this  _ thing  _ lingering between them.

“No,” Nico said honestly, because lying to Karolina didn’t feel right. “I mean, yeah, everything is pretty good, all things considered. We could still be driving endlessly and bickering over the music, or we could have been, I don’t know, found by some weirdo instead of the Agent Danvers but,” Nico took a deep breath, highly aware that she was beginning to ramble.

“But?”

“I, um,” Nico struggles to change what she’s feeling, the twist in her stomach that eases when Karolina squeezes her hand, into word form. “I guess I just need a straight answer.”

“To what question?” Karolina’s gaze is reassuring, open and honest.

“This one?” Nico pulls their joined hands up to chest-level. “Things have been different between us since the dance, but so much has happened and we haven’t been alone for longer than two seconds until now. I just need to know what this means?”

“For one,” Karolina smirks, “it means your question doesn’t have a straight answer.”

“Karolina.” Nico’s voice is not amused but Karolina can see the laughter in her eyes.

“I like you, Nico.” Karolina spoke lowly. “I didn’t kiss you at the dance just because it was an end of the world situation. I kissed you then because I couldn’t go another minute without showing you how I felt. I didn’t expect anything more than a single kiss, I still don’t honestly.” Karolina smiled softly at the shorter girl. “This, whatever is going on between us, can be whatever you want it to be. If you want to be friends and forget the kiss ever happened, that’s what we’ll do.”

“And if I don’t want to do that?”

“Then we’ll figure it out.” Karolina let go of Nico’s hand for the first time since they arrived at the mansion, bringing her hand up to cup Nico’s cheek. Nico leaned into the touch. “It’s up to you, Nico.”

Standing there, on a balcony overlooking the backyard of their new home, with the sounds of their friends bickering barely reaching her ears and Karolina’s hand cupping her face so gently, Nico felt breathless. Her heart beat frantically within her chest as she stared into Karolina’s eyes, sure the blonde could hear it, too. She was in lost Karolina, the blue of her eyes, the pink in her tanned cheeks, her soft smile. She looked at Nico so tenderly, so openly, absent any pressure or expectation for Nico to do or be anything other than what she wanted to. At that moment Nico had her answer.

The smaller girl was just rising to her tip-toes to connect her lips with Karolina’s when a crash from the hallway drew their attention.

“Karolina! Come help me beat up Chase!” Molly’s voice floated to the balcony, followed immediately by Gert herself.

“Oh,” Gert surveyed them, Karolina still caressing Nico’s face and Nico half on her toes, glaring daggers at Gert. “She’s a little busy, Molls!” Gert called over her shoulder with a smirk. “We found rooms for everyone but you, Karolina.”

“Great. Leave.” Nico spoke before Karolina could, obviously displeased.

“Why are Molly and Chase fighting?”

“They both want the same room.” Gert shrugged in a ‘well, what can you do’ sort of way. “I’ll fill you in later. But right now,” Gert’s tone was teasing, “I think I should go before Nico murders me with her eyes.”

“Good idea.” Nico had settled back into her original position, sulking as Karolina laughed. “I’m glad you’re amused.”

“I’m more than amused.” Karolina stated, smiling widely.

“Why’s that?”

“Because,” she tapped Nico’s nose, “Gert won’t let anyone else bug us for a good fifteen minutes.” Her smile grew. “Which means you have fifteen minutes to finish what you were about to do.”

“What makes you think I was going to do anything?” Nico asks, but she’s already reaching for Karolina.

“Call it a hunch.” Karolina has no idea where this newfound confidence is coming from, but when Nico connects their lips, she can’t quite bring herself to care. Nico’s hands rise, one cupping Karolina’s cheek and the other sliding to the back of her neck. Karolina’s arms wrap around Nico’s waist, lifting slightly so she doesn’t have to bend down so far. The kiss is soft, lingering, their lips separating for the briefest second before connecting again. Karolina feels weightless when they part and has to check she still has her bracelet on just to be sure she’s not flying.

Nico pulls back slightly, setting her weight back down on the balls of her feet instead of the toes. Her cheeks are flushed, matching Karolina’s. They stare at one another for a second, breathless and happy, before Nico breaks the silence.

“So,”

“I told you it wasn’t a straight answer.”

“Shut up.” Nico can’t stop smiling. “Does this mean, are we together now?” Nico looks unsure now, her fingers twisting in the hair at the nape of Karolina’s neck.

“Do you want to be?” Karolina returns. She ached to say yes, but she needs to make sure Nico knows she had a choice. Karolina would never force her into anything.

“Yes.” Nico’s answer came readily. “I want to be your girlfriend, Karolina, more than anything.”

“I want that, too.” Karolina smiles and this time it’s she who connects their lips. Nico kisses back and Karolina is sure she’s dreaming. She’s kissing her girlfriend. Nico Minoru is her girlfriend. She giggles against Nico’s lips. She’s still smiling when Nico pulls back.

“How much time do you think we have left until they come looking?” Just as Nico speaks, a rush of footsteps comes from the bedroom.

“Not much.” Karolina laughs as Nico grumbles, letting go of Nico’s waist and taking her hand to pull her back into the mansion.

“There you guys are.” Molly says, entering the room from the hallway as Karolina closes the balcony door. “I thought we were going to have to send out a search party. Karo, we found you a room.”

Karolina allowed Molly to pull her out of the room, shooting Nico a smile over her shoulder as she walked out. Nico rolled her eyes and followed them, curious to see the room they others had picked for her girlfriend. Wow. Girlfriend. That was going to take some getting used too. The room Molly led them too was on the opposite end of the hall, closer to the room Lena had said was hers. It was across from Gert, who had the room on the right side of the hall, with Molly next to her on the right and an empty room to the left. Chase was next to Karolina, across from Molly, with Alex on the other side of him. On Karolina’s other side was an empty room, and then the one Lena had claimed.

“Wow, this room is like, the exact opposite of Nico’s.” Karolina commented as she walked in. The walls were painted a light blue, white trim, the bedding in shades of white and light grey instead of dark. The furniture had the look of purposely distressed wood, with white paint artfully chipping away to reveal the grey wood beneath it. It was the direct opposite of Nico’s room, sans the balcony. “Does anyone else have a balcony?”

“Gert and I both do, I think they’re only on that side of the house.” Molly explained with a shrug, pulling back the white curtains to show Karolina the view of what used to be the garden lining the driveway this room offered. “Do you like it?”

“It’s great, Molls.” Karolina assured the girl, smiling and returning the hug Molly gave her. Molly left the room a moment later when Gert called for her. Karolina turned to see Nico surveying the room and smiled at her. “I guess opposites really do attract, huh?”

“I guess so,” Nico laughed slightly, meeting Karolina at the end of the bed. “We should probably get the others and head back downstairs.” Nico’s eyes stay on Karolina’s lips as she speaks.

“You’re probably right.” Karolina leans in and kisses Nico’s forehead before scooting past her to the door. Nico is struck for a second, wondering how Karolina kissing her forehead can leave her dumbfounded. “Nico?”

“Coming.” Nico snaps herself out of it. “Right behind you, K.” She takes Karolina’s hand when she’s close enough and they gather the rest of the group. Nico smiles slyly when Gert shoots her a knowing smirk as they head down the stairs.

**___**

The six teenagers spent a few minutes wandering around the first floor of the mansion before they stumbled upon the kitchen and the four adults therein. Lena offered the teens warm smiles as they filtered into the room, even as conversation between her, Kara, and Alex faded to a stop.

“Everyone pick a room?” Lena inquired, receiving nods from the assembled group.

“We left the rooms closest to yours open,” Nico told her, “in case anyone else is staying here.”

“I guess one of those will be mine then.”

“You're staying here too?” Molly asked Kara, clearly excited.

“I am.” Kara confirmed. “If that’s alright with all of you?”

“Are you going to train us?” Karolina asked, shaking her bracelet slightly.

“I’d like to, both of you.” Kara smiled at Molly. “We can work on your abilities without you hurting anyone.”

“But that’s only if you want to,” Lena interjected. Molly agreed immediately, with Karolina adding her agreement after a moment of hesitation. “But there’s some things we need to get settled before we start any sort of training.”

“What’s that?” Gert asked, sounding nervous.

“It’s nothing bad,” Kara was quick to reassure them. “First off, we need to get you guys some clean clothes.”

“Yeah, that’d be nice.”

“And we still need to stock up on food, and anything else you guys need.” Kara continued, ignoring Chase’s comment for the moment. “But we obviously can’t just take all of you to the store. There’s no way you won’t be recognized if you’re all out together.”

“We also don’t want to leave all of you here alone, unprotected while we go shopping.” Alex gauged their reactions, which ranged from understanding to visibly annoyed.

“We’re not children,” Wilder spoke up, defensive. There hadn’t been much more progress in mending fences among the group, as far as Alex was aware. “You can leave us alone.” Based on his tone, Alex guessed the boy meant more from that statement than simply leaving the six teenagers alone in the house.

“We know you’re not kids.” Kara attempted to play peacemaker. “But you are in danger.”

“We can take care of ourselves.”

“Alex, shut up.” Nico rejoined the conversation.

“Nico,”

“No, Alex. You don’t speak for all of us.” Nico’s voice was firm. “They’re right. It’s dangerous for all of us to be left alone here. What if something happens and Karolina’s lights act up again, or Molly uses her strength and passes out before we can get to her?”

“We got this far on our own.”

“We got this far through luck and you know it.” Nico held her hand up to stop Alex from adding anything else. “They’re trying to help us, Alex. They  _ can  _ help us. Whatever issues you have with that you can deal with on your own time.”

Wilder glared at Nico, but she didn’t back down. There was a tense moment when Alex cast his gaze to the rest of his friends, each of whom seemed to be in agreement with Nico.

“Fine.”

The adults in the room steered the conversation back towards the supplies they needed to get and who would go to get them. Eventually, it was decided that Kara and Lena would stay at the mansion with Chase, Gert, Alex, Karolina, and Molly, while Nico went with Alex to get clothes and food. Nico, without her makeup, seemed the least distinctive out of the group, and she had the added bonus of knowing almost everyone’s sizes already. The group split, the rest of the kids heading out of the kitchen to explore downstairs a little more while Karolina said good-bye to Nico and then joined the others. Alex and Nico left without further delay, returning a few hours later with clothes, food, and a few other things the six teenagers thought they would need. Purchases were duly sorted and placed into the appropriate locations, dinner eaten, and finally the runaways retreated up the stairs for the evening.

“Are we crazy?” Kara asked Lena, once it was the two of them alone in the kitchen, washing the dishes used during the day. “For doing this?”

“No,” Lena shook her head to emphasize her response. “I mean, taking in six teenagers and a dinosaur sure sounds a little crazy but, at the end of the day, I think we’re doing the right thing.”

Kara nodded thoughtfully, waiting a full minute filled with the sound of water running from the tap before opening her mouth again. “I’m sorry.” At Lena’s silence, Kara continued. “That I didn’t tell you about me.”

Lena had been expecting the conversation to come up again. Kara had been a little distant from her for the last few days, like she was waiting for Lena to suddenly decided that she wasn’t forgiven. Lena wants to say that it’s okay. That she understands why Kara would keep something like that from her, and that she doesn’t hold it against her, because she  _ doesn’t,  _ and it  _ is okay _ . But it’s also not okay, because was so sure she had finally found someone that wouldn’t lie to her, that wouldn’t withhold the truth just because it would hurt.

“I understand why you didn’t.” She says instead. The dishes are clean, and Lena throws the sponge she’d been using to wash them into the sink after turning off the water. “I won’t stop being your friend because of this, Kara.” Lena speaks softly. .

Kara nods, her smile small but true. “I just feel like I owe you more of an explanation for why I didn’t tell you, you know? I want you to know that it wasn’t because you’re a Luthor. I don’t care about that.” 

“I know.” Lena says and then waits for Kara to continue. 

“It’s just, everyone who knows who I really am expects certain things from me. It feels like I’m putting on a show for so much of my life that sometimes I forget that it’s just pretend. If you fake something often enough, it starts to feel real. But I never had to fake anything with you,” Kara sighs and fiddles with the towel she’d been using the dry the dishes. “I think I was being selfish, by not telling you. I told myself that it was to protect you but I was really protecting me. I didn’t have to be anyone other than me when I was with you. I didn’t have to be Kara Danvers the reporter, or Kara Zor-EL the alien, or Supergirl the hero. I’ve always been just Kara with you and I thought that if I could keep being just Kara, I could keep you.” 

“You won’t lose me Kara,” Lena tells her, taking the towel out of Kara’s hands and replacing the material with her own hands, warm and comforting as they grip Kara’s. “And you’re still just Kara to me. I don’t expect you to be anyone other than exactly who you are. I won’t stop being your safe place either,” her voice is softer than Kara’s ever heard before, heavy with the words that Kara hadn’t said but that Lena had somehow heard anyway. “You don’t have to be Supergirl or Kara Danvers with me, not now, or ever. Secret or no secret, you can always be yourself with me.” Lena meets Kara’s gaze, lowering her voice further with something akin to nervousness shining in her eyes. “Just like I can always be myself with you.”

Kara feels the smile on her lips grow as Lena leans up and places a soft kiss against Kara’s cheek. “Good night.”

The shorter woman is gone before Kara can return the sentiment and she’s left at the top of the stairs, staring at Lena’s closed door with a red lipstick print on her cheek and a swirl of emotion in her chest.

**___**

Upstairs, Karolina waits until she hears all of her friends bedroom doors close and then waits a little longer to make sure Kara and Lena are distracted downstairs before creeping out of her own room. For a moment, after she steps out of her room, Karolina hesitates to walk down the hall. She and Nico just started dating officially a few hours ago. Nico had asked Karolina to come to her room before they separated to take showers in their own room, but did that mean that she wanted Karolina to say the night? Should she have gone to Nico’s room earlier? Why did she feel like she needed to sneak into Nico’s room anyway? It’s not like their relationship was a secret, even if they hadn’t explicitly told their friends yet. Karolina was sure that at least Chase and Gert knew and were staying quiet about it, just like she and Nico knew there was something going on with Chase and Gert but they hadn’t said anything about it. 

“You know, standing in the hallway like this is totally not suspicious.” 

Karolina nearly jumps out of her skin when she hears Gert’s voice suddenly and she turns to where her friend is standing in the doorway of her room. 

“Right, sorry.” 

Gert waves off the apology. “Why are you standing here anyway? Isn’t Nico waiting for you?” 

“Yeah, she is. I just-” Karolina sighed slightly. “I don’t actually know why I’m standing here.” 

Gert stays silent for a moment to study her friend. She’s noticed a difference in Karolina since they all reconnected and if she’s being honest, it’s not a difference that Gert would have expected. She always thought that Karolina had an ideal life. She was the perfect church girl, a superstar actor for a father and her mother running the most mainstream church around, not to mention that Karolina was beautiful in her own right. Gert had always been a little jealous of her growing up, especially when it became clear that Chase was crushing on her. 

She never thought that the thing she and Karolina would have in common was their insecurities. Karolina’s insecurities aren’t hidden in the same way Gert’s are. Gert hides behind a snarky attitude and an i-hate-men persona that had been widely effective before she let Chase Stein unzip her dress at a school dance, but that was an issue to think about another time. Karolina hid behind a bright smile and an even brighter disposition. You wouldn’t be able to see Karolina’s insecurities unless you knew to look for them. Because Gert was one of the people in the know about Karolina, she could easily figure out why Karolina was standing in the hallway of their new mansion home rather than making her way to her new girlfriend’s bedroom. 

To put it simply, Karolina was afraid. Gert didn’t know what she was afraid of exactly, but she knew that it was what Karolina was feeling. Fear and probably anxiety, if Gert were to hazard a guess. Two emotions that Gert had plenty of experience with. 

“You know, if she asked you to come see her, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Gert speaks after her introspective silence. “But you’re worried anyway, aren’t you?” 

“More nervous,” Karolina admitted. “I mean, I know we’ve been together for the last few days but this is the first time we’ll really be  _ together. _ ” 

“Is that a bad thing?” 

“Of course not, it’s just a nervous thing.” Karolina played with the bracelet on her wrist, a nervous tick that Gert had noticed far more often over the past few weeks. “I’ve always wanted Nico like this, always wanted to be with her and now that I have the chance…”

“You’re afraid you’ll fuck it up.” 

“Yeah.” 

“So then be afraid, just do it with her.” 

“What?” Karolina looks at Gert with surprised eyes. 

“It’s okay to be scared. You just started dating, after all, and things are more than a little complicated with our parents being evil and us running away and now we live with  _ Supergirl _ . Not to mention all the crap Nico just went through with Alex. There’s a transition period here, a learning curve. So be scared, or nervous, or anxious, or however you feel. Just do it with Nico.” 

“When’d you get so smart?” 

“I think it’s from Old Lace, dinosaurs are wise beyond their years.” Gert let out a soft laugh which Karolina echoed. 

“Thanks Gert.” 

“Anytime Lucy in the Sky.” 

“And hey, maybe you should take your own advice.” Karolina suggested lightly as she began to quietly make her way down the hall towards the room Nico had chosen. 

“What?” Gert watched her go, hoping her voice didn’t betray her. 

“With Chase. Feel however you feel, just do it with him. You’ll both be better off for it.” 

“How did this become about me and Chase?” 

“Because that’s what friends do, talk about the relationship problems and help get each other’s heads on straight.” 

“Who said  _ anything  _ about a relationship?” Gert turned away so Karolina couldn’t see the blush climbing up her cheeks. There was practically zero light in the hallway, but Gert didn’t want to risk it. 

“Hey, there’s no pressure. From me or Chase.” Karolina paused in her walk and turned back to offer Gert a soothing smile, her teeth nearly white enough to shine in the dark hallway. “Sort out your feelings with Chase when you're ready.” 

“Isn’t your girlfriend waiting for you?”

“She is,” Karolina confirmed with another blinding smile. “Goodnight, Gert.” 

“Goodnight, Karolina.” 

Gert turned and walked back into her room as Karolina made the rest of the short walk to Nico’s room in silence, unable to keep the small smile off her face. She entered the room after a short knock and found Nico sitting up in the bed, the lamp on the bedside table turned on. She looked almost as anxious as Karolina felt, like she wasn’t expecting Karolina to show up. 

“There you are. I was getting worried.” 

“Sorry,” Karolina made her way over to the bed and climbed in beside her girlfriend, leaning over to press a kiss against Nico’s forehead. “Gert caught me in the hall and we talked for a bit.” 

“She still won’t admit she likes Chase?” 

“I think she’s getting there,” Karolina smiled as Nico leaned in to press a short kiss against her lips. “She’s also probably going to tease us for this in the morning.” 

“It’s not like we’re sneaking around,” Nico shrugged and laid down, pulling on Karolina’s arm so she laid with her. “Besides, the first time Chase comes crawling out of Gert’s room in the morning, we can give them hell back.” 

“You really think they’ll be coming out of Gert’s room?” 

“Duh, Chase is way too impulsive to wait for Gert to come to his room.” 

“True.” They lapsed into silence, Karolina moving around until she could lay her head on Nico’s chest and tuck her nose into the crook of Nico’s neck. “You think we’ll be okay here?” 

“Yeah,” Nico rubbed circles on Karolina’s back and kissed her hair. “I think we will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far! Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments so far! They really make my day. 
> 
> Just wanted to say that I am planning to update this 1-2 per week. I have three arcs planned for this fic with each arc taking roughly 15 chapters. I've almost finished writing the first arc and I have the second one mostly planned out, so stay tuned for more good stuff! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. The New Normal

Luckily for the six teenagers and the dinosaur now living in the Mansion, Kara made good on her promise to help Karolina and Molly start controlling their powers the morning after they arrived at the Mansion. 

“Honestly, you guys are going to be on your own here most of the time during the day,” Kara explained as she led Karolina and Molly to the backyard. “Lena can’t leave L-Corp unattended and I have to be at CatCo or patrolling the city. We trust that you guys can take care of yourselves, but we are a little concerned when it comes to your powers.” 

“So you trust us to feed ourselves but not to not break ourselves?” Gert asked, following along. She could admit that she was more than a little curious to see how both Molly and Karolina’s powers worked and she was maybe a little bit jealous that both of them were going to be trained by the strongest woman on earth. 

“Essentially, yes,” Kara gestured for Molly to move towards a weight-lifting set that Kara had brought over from the DEO. “But you guys are also really new to using your powers and it’s easy to lose control over them.” 

“No kidding,” Karolina grumbled lowly. She still felt a little embarrassed that she had been the one to oust their bigger secrets by losing control of herself, no matter how many times her friends told her that it wasn’t her fault. Nico took Karolina’s hand and squeezed gently. 

“So the first order of business is to learn how to switch your powers on and off, for lack of a better term.” 

“How do we do that?” Molly asked, eyeing the weights curiously. 

“By finding out what triggers them.” Kara moved so she was standing next to Molly and casually reached for the weight stand that held a small plethora of weighted plates on it. Chase, the only one of the teenagers familiar with using weights regularly, figured the whole thing probably weighed around 400 pounds. Kara picked it up with one hand as easily as one would lift a toothbrush. “For Karolina we have a little bit to work with because we already know that solar radiation charges her powers. But for you, Molly, we need to start by figuring out how you call your powers up. Yours are different from mine or Karolina’s because they aren’t constantly in use.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“The only reason Karolina isn’t lit up like a rainbow is because of her bracelet, right?” Kara looked at the small bit of silver encircling Karolina’s wrist. “If there was any Krytponite or a red sun around, I wouldn’t be able to lift this up.” She set the weights back on the ground and dusted her hands on her pants. “Karolina always has access to her powers but I’m not sure the same is true for you, Molly.” 

“So, what do we do?” Karolina asked. Kara offered her a reassuring smile. 

“We test your limits. Molly, try to pick this up.” 

Molly moved over a pit and wrapped her hands around the top of the weight stand under Kara’s direction, planting her feet and flexing her upper arms in an attempt to lift. The stand didn’t move. 

“Keep trying.” 

Molly huffed, already annoyed that she couldn’t do it on her first try. Or second, or third. 

“So Molly is effectively powerless until she can flip the switch?” Gert asked Kara as she watched her sister with a wary eye. 

“Well no, Molly’s powers are always a part of her. Think of it more like a circuit. There’s always power running along the circuit, but the flip isn’t always switched on so sometimes the power diverts. Same concept.” 

“So she has the power but can’t use it.” 

“Exactly.” 

Molly, growing even more frustrated with her lack of success, didn’t hear the back half of that conversation. Instead, her mind zoned in on the word ‘powerless’ and a reckless determination to prove that word wrong filled her mind. Clenching her jaw, Molly lifted again. 

The assembled group watched in amazement as Molly’s eyes began to glow orange and she lifted the weights with little effort. She wasn’t as casual about it as Supergirl, but she was noticeably not straining very much. 

“Impressive,” Lena said as she came into the backyard. She was dressed for work now, a stark contrast to the jeans and sweaters that the teens had seen her in for the past few days, but her smile was still kind and light. “And emotion based.” 

“Emotion based?” Molly set the weights back on the ground and felt the glow receding from her eyes. 

“You couldn’t lift it until you got angry at yourself for not lifting it,” Lena observed, the frown on Molly’s face confirming her words. “Now that we know how to trigger your strength accidentally, we can figure out how to do it on purpose.” 

“It’s not a bad thing that your powers are emotion based. All of ours are, to some extent. It’s about controlling those emotions so you can control your powers.” Kara explained easily, catching Molly as she began to sway slightly, exhaustion quickly settling over her. “And building up stamina so you don’t collapse every time you use your strength.” 

“That would be nice,” Molly agreed, letting Supergirl move her over to Gert, who gently held Molly up so they could watch Karolina take her turn. 

After confirming that Karolina couldn’t completely lift the weights with her bracelet on, though the stand did move slightly which told them that even without her lights Karolina was stronger than the average human, Karolina took her bracelet off and handed it to Nico. 

The lights encompassed her almost immediately and Karolina could feel the energy they provided coursing through her veins. She felt strong when her powers weren’t being inhibited. Strong and free. 

“Not gonna lie,” Gert mumbled to Nico as they watched Karolina lift the weights easily. “That’s kinda hot.” 

“Agreed.” Nico whispered back, watching her girlfriend in awe. 

“Alright now,” Kara stepped up beside Karolina again and wrapped her hand around the top of the weight stand. “Try to turn your lights off but without losing your strength.” 

“Can I do that?” 

“Don’t know,” Kara touched her shoulder reassuringly. “We won’t know until we try it. I’ve got this,” Kara nodded towards the weight stand, “just in case. I won’t let anything happen.” 

Karolina took a deep breath and nodded, closing her eyes. She thought back to what Kara said before about their powers being like a circuit. Karolina just needed to turn off the right switch. It was a process that would probably be easier if Karolina understood exactly how her powers worked, but she was kind of flying blind. Thinking about herself like she used to be, before she found out she was a glowing, half-alien, Karolina could feel her lights fading away. Unfortunately, her strength faded as quickly as her lights. 

“Good job,” Kara said as she set the weights down on Karolina’s behalf. “Now that we have a basis for your strength, I can work with my sister to come up with a plan for training you.” 

“Alex can do that?” Molly asked sleepily. 

“She can, she’s the one who trained me. But for now, while Lena and I are at work, you guys should try to relax. You’ve had a long few weeks.” 

That was an understatement, if you asked any of the six teenagers, but they didn’t bother to argue the point. Instead, Chase and Gert moved Molly back inside the mansion. They were headed in the general direction of the living room so Kara hoped they could spend at least a few hours relaxing and watching mindless TV. They deserved it, after the last few weeks they’d had. A few moments later, only Kara and Lena were standing in the backyard. 

“Busy day at work?” Kara asked Lena as they walked along the path to the garage where Lena’s personal car was parked along with DEO vehicle. Alex had taken her motorcycle home when she’d left them the day before. 

“Always,” Lena confirmed with a rueful smile. “Be careful out there.” 

“I will,” Kara promised, taking Lena’s hand for a brief moment and squeezing before letting go. “I’ll see you tonight?” 

“Of course, I’ll cook dinner.” 

“Why am I not surprised that you can cook on top of all the other amazing things you do?” 

“I'm full of surprises darling,” Lena cleared her throat after the pet name slipped out, giving Kara a smile that was a little more forced than normal. “Have a good day.” 

“Yeah, you too.” Kara waited until Lena was safely in her car and driving towards the city before she changed into her super suit and flew off in the direction of CatCo. 

**___**

Gert wouldn’t say the transition from driving aimlessly for days on end to living in an old mansion with two of the most powerful women on earth was easy. Sure, they have a semi-permanent place to sleep, a good supply of food and clothes, and they were all still together, but it wasn’t all just magically better. Gert had suffered for nearly a full week before finally telling Lena about the medication she was supposed to be on. She had initially tried to play it off, dismissing the pain in her head and her snappy attitude. It wasn’t until she snapped at Chase while they were getting ready to spar that she finally gave in. There was something about the look in Chase’s eyes when Gert went on off on him, the hurt laced with a deep understanding that had never been directed at Gert before that caught her off guard. The look in his eyes had hurt Gert more than the pounding in her mind. Lena had Gert’s prescription ready the very next morning and presented it to her with a soft smile that Gert had never seen on an adults’ face before. Lena’s eyes had been absent of any pity, or disgust, or the negative emotions Gert usually associated with adults discussing mental illness. Just a calm understanding, an unwavering acceptance. Kara’s reassuring smile had only served to comfort Gert even more. Her initial idea to at least not trust the women helping her and her friends had blown out the window in that moment, already on unstable ground anyway.

There was still a disconnect within the six friends on whether Lena, Kara, and Alex could be trusted. They had grown up around powerful political, religious, scientific, or just generally important people and knew firsthand how untrustworthy they could be. Gert, Molly, and Karolina were more apt to trust the older women than Alex, Chase, and Nico. Gert because of their gentle grace and understanding, without any pressure directed to her or the others, Molly because they were teaching her how to do what she really wanted, use her strength to help others. Karolina, she had formed a special bond with Kara as she helped Karolina explore and understand her own powers. They spent a good hour, if not more, each night hovering above the expansive grounds of the mansion. Sometimes they tested Karolina’s speed, or how her lights affected different things, or Kara taught her some advanced flying movement. Usually, they simply moved to a place out of earshot of the others and talked. Chase and Nico had come to partially trust the adults, Kara and Lena more so than Alex but that was mostly because Agent Danvers simply hadn’t been around as often as Kara and Lena. Chase appreciated the grace they offered with him because none of the adults had mentioned anything when he flinched at sudden loud noises, or when someone raised their hand from behind him. Nico felt the same because they had helped in getting Karolina comfortable in her own skin, now that she had no idea who or what she really was.

Alex seemed to not trust anyone these days, especially Kara. All five of the other Runaways had asked him about it at one time or another. His answers varied from a pointed glare when Karolina asked him, the silent treatment when Nico did, or simply stating he wasn’t going to trust them just because they were helping them. They had been betrayed before, who’s to say it wouldn't happen again. Gert had said something about the patriarchal society fearing powerful women and Alex being a product of that, but none of the people living in the house believed it was the truth when it came to Alex.

Of course, Nico and Karolina’s beautifully blossoming relationship had done little to ease Alex’s bad mood. Karolina lit up when Nico walked into the room (literally, once) and Nico did the same. They gravitated towards one another. When Nico shifted so did Karolina, when Karolina reached for something Nico was ready and waiting to hand it to her. They shared these glances and smiles throughout the day, small secret ones that no one was meant to see. It was sickeningly cute, Gert had said more than once, but Alex did not share the same opinion. Gert could see him slowly accepting the reality of his chances with Nico, which had all but disappeared before they even left LA and were now completely gone, but he still looked heartbroken every time he saw the couple together. The tension was palpable, but lessening by the day, much to the Mansion’s residents’ relief.

Speaking of tension, Gert thought as Chase walked into the kitchen. She and Chase had been in this weird limbo since their…encounter at the dance. It was comfortable, their banter and the smiles Chase sent her when the rest of the group were occupied with something else. It was easy to smile back, to tease Chase and ruffle his hair. It was harder to ignore the flutter that rose in her stomach when she did those things, and the soft look in Chase’s eyes that made Gert feel like her heart would explode from the emotion. It was impossible to deny her feelings for him, but not so much to deny his for her.

How could Chase like a girl like her anyway? Chase was, well,  _ Chase.  _ He was tall and gorgeous, and generous, and the dimple on his right cheek was deeper than the one on the left. He wrestled with Molly and wasn’t scared to pet Old Lace. His voice was the perfect mix of soft and husky. He struggled to find the words to explain things sometimes, but he could talk for hours about engineering and computers. He was perfect, imperfections and all. And Gert, wasn’t.

“Earth to Gert.” Gert snapped out of her thoughts when she finally registered Chase’s hand waving back and forth in front of her face. It isn’t until she catches sight of his smirk that she realizes Chase had been speaking to her, probably since he walked in.

“Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Are you okay?” Chase asks instead of answering her question. “You were really spaced out.”

“I’m fine,” Gert does her best to sound annoyed even though she isn’t annoyed in the slightest. “Just thinking about the whole Nico/Karolina/Alex situation.” It’s only part of the truth but Chase takes it at face value.

“Oh right,” Chase sounds disappointed for a reason Gert doesn’t want to think about. “Personally, I think Wilder should get over it.”

“He cares for Nico, a lot.”

“So? Liking someone isn’t an excuse to be a jackass.” Chase opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water and a cheese stick. “Especially when Nico’s made it clear she doesn’t feel the same way.” Chase takes a bit out of his snack and continues speaking before Gert can interject. “Besides, if he really cares about Nico, he’d be happy that she’s happy, no matter how much it hurts him.”

“Okay, first of all, gross,” Gert makes a face when Chase opens his mouth enough for her to see the remnants of cheese on his tongue. “Second, that’s surprisingly insightful of you, Chase.”

“I can be deep when I want to be.” Chase schools his face into an innocent expression but Gert can see the mischief in his eyes and feels her own cheeks warm at his words, remembering  _ exactly _ how deep he could get.

“Can’t you guys keep it in your pants, there are children present?” Nico says as she walks into the kitchen with Molly and Karolina, focusing on the smirk on Chase’s lips and the blush on Gert’s cheeks.

“You’re one to talk, Minoru.” Nico maturely sticks her tongue out at him in response. Chase returns the gesture and tosses the bottle of water Karolina requests to her as the blonde settles on the stool in front of Nico, the shorter girl claiming a seat on the counter top of the breakfast bar. Gert moves to the table to sit with her sister while Chase rounds the island to sit on the stool next to Karolina and Nico.

“You guys act like I don’t know what sex is.” Molly grumbled under her breath as she and Gert sat down, but not so low that she wasn’t heard by Gert.

“What?” Gert turns to her sister. “Who ruined your innocence?”

“Um, the internet? Mainstream television? The bedroom eyes that you and Chase make at each other?” Molly shrugs. “Take your pick, they’re all pretty good answers.”

“We do not make bedroom eyes!” Gert insists while the rest of the group cracks up. “At least not as bad as Karolina and Nico.”

“Hey!” Karolina protests, but she’s laughing too. It feels good to just joke around together. It reminds her of when they were kids. Before Molly’s parents died, before Amy. When they would sit in the Wilder’s guest house during PRIDE meetings and play games and laugh and tease each other until their parents came to get them. “We all know the true culprits here are Kara and Lena.”

“Oh my god, you see it too?” Chase and Molly said at the same time, prompting them to look at one another in surprise before speaking at the same time again. “ _ You _ noticed that?”

“It’s kind of hard not to notice that.” Chase shrugged, receiving baffled stares from the four girls in the room, and Alex, Chase had belatedly realized, who must have slipped into the room sometime after the girls had. “It is pretty obvious.”

“It must be, if you noticed.” Karolina teases, and Chase lightly punches her arm in response. The motion jostles Nico - whose arms are wrapped around Karolina’s shoulders - and she glowers at him for a second before it turns to a smile when Karolina laces their fingers together over her chest.

“I may be a dude, but I’m not oblivious.” Chase defends himself, crossing his arms over his chest. “I noticed Karolina and Nico had something between them before any of you did.”

“You did?” Karolina seems surprised by his words, as does Alex who had silently taken a seat at the table across from Gert and Molly. They’d turned their chairs to face the three at the breakfast bar, so they didn't see the frown on his face.

“Nico and I had a little chat about it, before we went to save you Karolina.”

“I forgot about that.” Nico looks over at Chase suddenly, a glint in her eyes that Chase isn’t sure he likes. “But he’s right, kind of.”

“How is he kind of right?” Karolina asked her girlfriend, tilting her head back to see her eyes.

“Well, it wasn’t so much a conversation about us, but more that we both smelled like hookup after we all met up in the hall.” Nico shrugged. “So, yeah, I guess he figured it out about us then.”

“Wait, why did Chase smell like hookup too?” Alex asked, finally joining the conversation. If anyone heard the hurt in his voice, they didn’t comment on it.

“Can we stop talking about hookups around the child, please?” Gert butted in, hoping she had enough control of her blushing cheeks to keep from embarrassing herself.

“I’m only three years younger than all of you.” Molly pouted.

“Wait, no Gert picked up on it first.” Karolina points out. “She confronted me at that gala we had to go too with our parents, when I sent Chase to get drinks for us.”

“You were into me then?”

“Back to Kara and Lena,” Gert turned back to Chase, ignoring the exchange between Karolina and Nico and the resigned expression on Alex’s face, “there’s definitely something, there right?”

“Totally,” Chase agreed, “have you been in a room with just the two of them? They can just be washing dishes and I feel like I’m interrupting some intimate moment.”

“It’s disgustingly sappy.”

“What’s disgustingly sappy?” All six teenagers turned their heads as a new voice joined the fray, Lena walking into the kitchen dressed like she had just walked off the corporate runway with a tablet in her hands.

“Karo and Nico’s heart eyes.” Gert said, a little too quickly, with Chase and Molly nodding in agreement and the couple in question looking appropriately embarrassed. Alex remained silent.

“Ah, yes,” Lena offered the young couple a smile, “you two do an awful lot of staring at one another these days, don’t you?”

“We do not!” Nico protested half-heartedly, knowing Lena was right. She didn’t mean to stare at Karolina all the time, honestly, she didn’t. But then she noticed Karolina looking at something with that little crinkle on her forehead, totally focused, or laughing as Molly and Old Lace chased one another around the backyard or trading teasing jabs with Gert and Chase and Nico couldn’t help but stare. Don’t even get her started on watching Karolina work out on the various machines Lena had bought and placed in the backyard for them to train with. “What’s for dinner?”

“Potstickers.” Lena says, setting her tablet down on the counter top. The kids had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Lena was a phenomenal cook, and equally amused when Kara stated without any hesitance that she was not. “Kara claims she’s dying from potsticker withdrawals, and I found a pretty good recipe for them online.”

“What is a potsticker?” Alex asked, nose crinkled and eyes looking anywhere except where Nico and Karolina sat together.

“A gift from the gods.” Kara answers his question, entering the kitchen with windswept hair and her super suit still on. The Runaways can’t help but stare, still a little awestruck whenever they see Kara in her full Supergirl regalia.

“I personally prefer a good batch of kale,” Lena says, mostly to watch Kara’s animated reaction. Just as expected Kara looks visibly repulsed, her shoulders shuddering and she shakes her head no fiercely.

“Never again will I be persuaded to eat that monstrosity.” Kara shudders again for added effect.

“Kara, you had it once.” Lena reminds her with an affectionate roll of her eyes.

“That was enough.”

The Runaways share a collective glance, Molly, Chase, and Karolina seeming to say ‘what did I tell you’ at Kara and Lena’s interaction, but managed to keep in any laughter.

“Do you need any help?” Karolina asked Lena as Kara left the kitchen to change out of her suit. Lena pulled out a cutting board, knife, and placed various vegetables on the counter.

“Sure, I need to get all of this diced.”

Karolina disentangled herself from her girlfriend, placing a kiss on Nico’s cheek and then rounding the island to start cutting the vegetables. Nico hopped off the counter just as Kara swept back into the room, dressed in the clothes she had worn to work that morning. Chase and Nico moved to the table to sit with Molly, Gert, and Alex while Kara went to help Lena and Karolina cook. It was a familiar scene. As familiar as it could be after only a week, anyway. Karolina liked to help whoever was cooking, Nico didn’t know if it was the product of Karolina growing up believing in helping others without a second thought or Karolina’s genuine good nature. She suspected it was a blend of both. The others were content to sit at the table and chat amongst themselves, occasionally joined by Kara or Lena when the other was cooking or monitoring the food in Kara’s case. Once the food was ready, they worked by committee to set the table. Nico appreciated the routine of it all.

“Any news?” Alex asks Kara when she turns from Lena to the kids. Kara shakes her head.

“Nothing yet.”

Kara had told the kids that their parents were being watched for suspicious activity, but it could take a little while to find anything or catch them doing something. As Karolina pointed out when Kara first told them, their parents had been doing this for at least seventeen years, without anyone suspecting anything. They knew to be careful.

“Listen, we know you guys are getting anxious about the radio silence. We promise we are doing everything we can.” Lena spoke from where she was placing the potstickers in a pan to be placed in the oven. “These things take time, more than a week.”

“We know,” Nico spoke to the group. She had assumed the role of the leader after Alex proved incompetent, he couldn’t even convince the others to actually try when they were training, but she was beginning to blossom in her new role. Karolina, done with her part of the meal prep, made her way to the table and took the open seat on Nico’s right. “Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. Something that we can use against PRIDE.”

“What’s that?” Kara asked curiously, noting the confused glances the other teenagers sent their leader.

“The Staff of One.”

The Runaways shared surprised and concerned looks over the table. Kara and Lena moved over to the group.

“The Staff that is under your mother’s control?” Kara asked, mainly for clarification purposes. She knew perfectly well what the Staff was, in theory at least. Nico had given them all the information she could about the strange device, but it was difficult to explain without having the Staff in hand.

“That’s the one,” Nico’s expression remained serious, “my mother’s not the only one who can use it. If I can get it away from her, PRIDE will lose a huge advantage over us. I can train with it, like Karo and Molly are training with their powers. We can use it to stop them.”

“Where is the Staff?”

“At their house, in L.A.” Nico answered Lena’s question without any hesitance. “We’d have to break in and get it out of her office.”

“So, you want to break into one of the most advanced AI protected homes in the world and steal a magic staff.” Karolina did not sound impressed by Nico’s idea in the slightest. “Anything else?”

“We might be able to get some info of PRIDE if we can hack Tina’s computer while we’re there.” Nico shrugged slightly, as if the whole idea was an everyday occurrence.

“Nico, we can’t do that.” Alex spoke up and Nico bristled. “It’s too dangerous. We can’t go back to LA until we’re ready to face PRIDE and we both know we’re not there yet.”

“I didn’t say we would all go back, Alex.”

“You think we’d let you do this alone? No way. Not a chance in hell.”

“I don’t recall asking for your permission, Alex.” Nico spat back at him, her eyes hard and shoulders tense. “Like it or not, we need to get the Staff away from PRIDE and I’m the only one who can control it.”

“Alright,” Kara’s powerful voice cut in before Alex could carry the argument any further. “Nico, you seem to have done a lot of thinking about this. What’s your plan?”

“Three of us go to LA. Myself, to get the Staff, Karolina to disable Wizzy so we can get in, and Alex to hack the system and get info on PRIDE.”

“How would I disable Wizzy?” Karolina asked before Kara could.

“Your powers. Remember the dig site?” Nico waited until Karolina nodded to continue. “That blast knocked out all the electronics around the whole block, like a giant EMP. You’ve been practicing now, you have better control over your beams. If you focus them on Wizzy’s main breakers you should be able to overload the system, enough for us to get in and get out.”

“That’s a big risk to take, Nico.” Karolina pointed out. “What do we do if it doesn’t work?”

“We’ll test it before we leave. I know we can do this, Karolina. We  _ need  _ to do this.” Nico’s hand gripped Karolina’s thigh beneath the table, a warm, comforting presence. Their eyes met, a silent conversation passing between them. Alex looked away, the tenderness in their eyes too much for him to bear just yet.

“Okay,” Karolina conceded right as the timer went off on the oven, signaling that the potstickers were done cooking. Kara pulled them out, no oven mitts needed, and helped Lena place them on the large serving dish. “But we can’t rush into this. We need to be absolutely sure this will work.”

“Agreed.” Alex spoke up but still averted his eyes. As a group, the Runaways turned to Kara and Lena who seemed to be having a silent conversation of their own over the large platter of potstickers in Kara’s hands.

“What do you think?” Nico asked after the silence stretched on long enough for Lena and Kara to take their seats at the table. The pair exchanged one more glance before nodding in unison.

“How can we help?”

**___**

Cleaning up after dinner is a joint effort that evening, Kara washing the dishes, Chase drying them and then handing them over to Nico, Karolina, or Gert to be put away. Molly hops up onto the counter next to Kara and starts up a conversation about super strength. Chase and Alex banter when the latter brings his plate to the sink for Kara to wash, Lena isn’t sure what the topic is, but she vaguely recognizes the name of some character or another, from a video game she’s never played herself and can’t remember the title of. Lena herself remains at the table, having done most of the cooking, and enjoys the last few sips of her wine while the others clean up. She tries to time it so that she finishes her drink just before Kara reaches for the last dish, but she has yet to be successful on that front. That evening, she placed her glass on the counter a few moments after Kara finished rinsing the last plate, but before she reached to turn the water off. Lena considered it a small victory. 

They separated for a little bit soon after, not quite comfortable enough to spend too much time lingering in the kitchen together, but the adults wanted the kids to have a chance to relax together before Kara and Karolina went for their flight. Kara and Lena remained for a while after, chatting about nothing the way they used too, before the Daxamite invasion when all Lena was worried about was rebuilding her company and family name and trying to get Kara to eat healthier, so she wouldn’t have a heart attack at thirty. She had missed this easy comradery with Kara. After the invasion, Kara had all but disappeared from Lena’s life, leaving text messages unanswered and never picking up the phone when Lena called. Looking back, Lena knows Kara had been out patrolling the streets as Supergirl during all that time, but that did little to comfort her or ease her guilt. If she could have found a way to defeat the Daxamites without sending Kara’s boyfriend off the planet. Not that she particularly liked Mon-El, she spent little time with him, but he always seemed like a pompous, spoiled brat whenever they were together, but Kara cared for him and Lena cared for Kara.

“Lena?” Kara questioned for the third time, her friend still staring blankly ahead without seeing Kara. “Hey, Lena,” Kara reached out, placing her hand on Lena’s arm and squeezing it gently.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” Lena asks as she comes back to herself, her eyes focusing on Kara’s.

“Are you okay? You were a million miles away just now.”

“Oh I’m fine,” Lena tries to wave off Kara’s concerns.

“Lena.” There’s something about the way Kara says her name. Softly, like Lena deserved all the awe and amazement in the world, gently, like her name alone was the most precious word in the world. She made Lena feel wanted, accepted, like she could pour her heart out to Kara without judgement or fear.

“I was just thinking about how much I missed you these past couple months.” Lena speaks without really meaning too, Kara’s earnest expression and soft eyes drawing the truth from her lips. “After the invasion I didn’t see much of you. Not that I blame you, after what happened.”

“What do you mean?” Kara seemed surprised at Lena’s words.

“After what I did.”

“Lena, you didn’t do anything.” Kara insists, the infamous crinkle forming between her eyebrows as they scrunch together in confusion.

“I sent the Daxamite’s away, I sent Mon-El away.” Lena speaks softly, her voice filled with guilt and shoulders slumping after her admission.

“Oh, Lena,” Kara says and uses the hand she still has on Lena’s arm to pull her into a hug, “that wasn’t your fault. It was an impossible situation, we couldn’t have beaten them without sending Mon-El away.”

“I should have found another way,” Lena’s words are slightly muffled against Kara’s shoulder, but Kara can hear the emotion in them, the guilt, the blame, the self-doubt.

“Lena,” Kara pulled back, so she could look Lena in the eyes, using one finger to lift Lena’s chin when the CEO refused to meet her gaze, “It wasn’t your fault. I don’t blame you for anything that happened that day.”

“Promise?”

There’s a ghost of a smile across Kara’s lips as she replies, “Promise.”

Lena smiles at her, relieved, but concerned at the same time. Kara didn’t blame her, Lena, for anything that happened that day. Did she blame herself? She’s about to question Kara when she notices blue eyes flicker downwards. Lena licks her lips involuntarily, watching Kara’s eyes follow the movement of her tongue. Lena takes a deep breath, Kara’s eyes flickering back up to look into Lena’s own. Slowly, Lena starts to lean in, Kara following.

“Chase! Give it back!”

The two women jump apart at the sound of Molly’s voice as she and the boy running from her come crashing back into the kitchen. They seem to not notice the tension between Kara and Lena, too busy arguing over the pink ball of yarn in Chase’s hand, Molly’s cat hat that he had apparently stolen from her.

Kara and Lena stare at one another for a moment, the air between them heavy with the almost-kiss they shared, before another yell from Molly breaks the spell over them. Kara chases the two teenagers out of the kitchen, leaving Lena with a pounding heart, a spinning head, and the ghost of Kara’s breath against her lips.

**___**

“You’re nervous,” Kara states, landing gently on the roof of the Mansion with Karolina at her side, “your lights keep getting brighter and then dimming. Everything okay?”

Karolina considers lying for a second, but Kara’s earnest face steals the idea from her. She doesn’t like lying in general, never has, but she understands some situations called for a little while lie now and again. This wasn’t one of those situations.

“Nico’s plan,”

“You don’t think it will work?”

“No,” Karolina shook her head, “I know it will work. But there’s so many things that could go wrong. What if her parents are home? Or all of PRIDE is there for some meeting? Or Jonah?” Karolina rubbed her hands on her shorts anxiously. “I’m not ready to face all of them, not yet.” She’s not even close to ready. She was just starting to come to terms with her parents being in a murderous cult when they ran away, pairing that with her now unknown origins, and the true identity of her father and Karolina’s head was still spinning. Not to mention Frank, who Karolina had thought, hoped, was a good guy, who sided with Jonah in the end. It hurt her heart and her head.

“You don’t have to go.” Kara reminded her, gesturing for the girl to take a seat on the roof with her. Karolina did so, a heavy sigh leaving her lungs as she basically collapsed next to Kara.

“Yes, I do. There’s no way I’m letting Nico go alone.” Karolina had finally been allowed access to all the deep, dark, parts of herself that Nico tried to hide. They were in this together, in every way.

“Alex is going with her.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Karolina,” Kara started, placing a reassuring hand on the younger girl's shoulder and smiling internally when she didn’t flinch away, “it’s okay to be afraid. You’ve been through so much, much more than anyone your age should have to go through. You’re allowed to feel however you want to feel.”

“No one else is scared.” There, was the root of the issue. Karolina feeling like the others had already dealt with everything that happened, had moved from fear to determination and she just couldn’t.

“How do you know?” Kara asked softly. “Have you talked about it with them?”

Karolina shook her head in response. She thought about bringing it up to Nico at night, when they both crawled into bed together in the room Nico had originally claimed for herself. But Nico seemed so at ease then, when it was just the two of them without the others breathing down their necks so Karolina kept silent.

“Then how do you know they aren’t scared, too?”

“They don’t act like it.”

“Neither do you.” Kara continued when Karolina shot her a disbelieving look. “You don’t. You may feel afraid, but you never look anything but determined, protective even.” Kara gripped Karolina’s shoulders, forcing the girl to look at her. “Karolina, you may not believe me, but I can guarantee Nico, Molly, Gert, Chase, and Alex are just as scared as you are, but are pretending not to be for everyone else.”

“I don’t know what to do.” Karolina admitted, and Kara couldn’t resist the urge to pull her into a hug. She was surprised, pleasantly, when Karolina hugged her back just as tightly.

“Talk to them,” Kara advised as they pulled apart, “start with Nico. Get everything out into the open, and then deal with it together.”

“Thanks, Kara.” Karolina said as Kara climbed to her feet, intending to let Karolina be alone with her thoughts for a little while. “For everything.”

“Anytime, Diamonds.” Karolina rolled her eyes at the nickname, given to her by Kara when they started training. It referenced her favorite Beatles song but Kara said that it rolled off the tongue a little smoother than yelling ‘Lucy in the Sky.’ Karolina had decided she liked the nickname, liked having something that she could use to identify the parts of herself that she was finally getting to discover. Karolina chuckled, smiling slightly as Kara rose from the roof, hovered for a moment and then disappeared back into the Mansion.

Karolina sat outside for another ten minutes, watching the stars and thinking about what Kara had said, before heading to the room she shared with Nico. Nico sat on a chair on the balcony, a book propped up on her knees, her hair still wet from her shower. It was an increasingly familiar sight to Karolina, one that never failed to make her smile.

“Hey,” she greeted as her feet touched down on the balcony. Nico smiled at her, waiting patiently while Karolina powered down. She had been able to turn her lights on and off without her bracelet for a few days now, and Nico was super proud of her for developing her powers.

“Have fun up there?”

“Would’ve been more fun if you were there with me,” Karolina shot Nico a dazzling smile as she moved closer, ducking down to steal a kiss before heading into their room and the en suite bathroom for a quick shower. She emerged fifteen minutes later to find Nico in the same position before and made her way out to the balcony to join her.

“You must really like that book.” Karolina commented after walking up to Nico, tapping her shoulder and Nico scooting forward in the chair so Karolina could climb in behind her. They settled together, Nico sitting between Karolina’s legs and leaning back against her chest with Karolina’s arms wrapped around her waist.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess so.” Nico shrugged, leaning further into Karolina.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Karolina punctuated her question with a kiss to Nico’s shoulder.

“Just thinking about the mission.” Nico sighed, closing her book and turning to nuzzle further into Karolina. “Is it bad that I’m scared to go back there?”

“Of course not,” Karolina shook her head. “I am, too.” Of course Supergirl was right.

“It’s just, I haven’t had the best relationship with my parents, and it only got worse after Amy…” Karolina squeezed Nico gently around the waist in comfort, “but I always thought they were at least  _ decent  _ people. That they were actually trying to help save the world.”

“But now you know that isn’t true.”

“I just – I can’t, they’re our parents, Karolina. How can they be such monsters?” Nico sat up and turned in Karolina’s embrace, so they were sitting face-to-face. “If they’re monsters, what does that make us?”

“We’re not them, Nico.” Karolina brushed a stray hair behind Nico’s ear as she continued, “our parents are terrible, murderous people, but we’re not. Okay? We can fix the world that they broke.”

“How?” Nico hated how unsure her voice sounded, but the tender glow to Karolina’s eyes showed no pity or sympathy or any hint of a negative emotion. Nothing but support and the beginnings of feelings Nico was scared to admit she had.

“I don’t know.” Karolina offered Nico a small smile, “but I do know we’ll do it together.”

Karolina leaned in and Nico met her halfway. It was the softest kiss they had shared thus far, no teeth or tongue, no wandering hands and panting breaths. A simple meeting of lips that was meant to convey nothing but affection and comfort. They separated, and Nico laid her head on Karolina’s shoulder to bask in the comfort she provided.

They returned to the bedroom soon after and climbed into the bed they shared in peaceful silence. They were still scared, terrified, but they had each other. That was enough 


	6. Preparing for Battle

“I can’t believe Supergirl is going to teach us to fight!” Molly cheered enthusiastically. The six teenagers were sitting in the backyard together, observing the equipment that Lena had ordered for them to train with. The day before, after testing Karolina’s and Molly’s strength, Kara and Alex D. had spent a good portion of the afternoon devising a kind of training plan for them. They focused mostly on building strength and stamina for now, and they’d been moving on to more combat focused workouts after Nico, Karolina, and Alex returned from their mission to L.A. 

“Actually, Supergirl’s sister is doing the training,” Gert reminds her sister who grumbles in response. Gert is sitting next to Chase on the bench that will eventually rest beneath a bar for bench press and other arm workouts, but the rest of it hasn't been assembled yet. Chase would be doing that with Lena the next day, Molly and Gert helping a little bit, to keep their minds off of the other three while they were gone. Molly leans against Gert legs and pointedly doesn’t comment on the way Chase and Gert’s arms are slightly woven together. 

“Still! An actual trained super-spy!” 

“I’m just glad she’s been teaching you how to fly,” Chase adds, gesturing at Karolina. She sits on the ground as well, Nico perched in her lap and Alex sitting to their right. 

“Me too,” Karolina responds with a slight grimace, “it’s way less scary than how we found out.”

“What happened?” Alex asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity. Karolina can feel Nico’s shoulders shift as she moves in her lap.

“We found out on accident, Chase and I, at the last Pride party we went to. I had a bit too much to drink,” Karolina starts off, “Chase and I were up on the roof with a bottle of cheap vodka, talking for a bit. Then, Chase had kissed me, and I had backed away, a little too far as when I took another step, I sort of, um, fell over the edge.” Nico’s eyes widen as her grip on Karolina’s waist tightens, lifting her head to look at her girlfriend’s face. “Chase grabbed for me and managed to knock my bracelet off. Next thing I know, I’m lit up like a rainbow and hovering above the roof.”

“Giving me a fucking heart attack in the process.”

“Chase, language.”

“I should really get this clasp fixed, shouldn’t I?” Karolina lifts the arm not wrapped around Nico, her silver bracelet catching the light of the setting sun.

“You fell off a roof?” Nico asks, struck by the casual way Karolina had told the story. As if it was fond memory instead of a really bad situation that could have ended with Karolina bloody and broken on the pavement.

“A little?” Karolina shrugged. “It was an accident, I’m fine, and it was kind of a rush, once I got my bearings.”

“A rush? Karo, you fell off a building!” Nico’s eyes are wide with worry, moving quickly as they look over Karolina’s face, like the event had just happened. “How have I not heard this story before?”

“Nico, I’m fine,” the arm Karolina has around Nico tightens, “it was weeks ago, I wasn’t hurt. Relax, baby.” Her words drop to a whisper, only for Nico to hear and she gently kisses her. Chase watches Alex for any kind of negative reaction but all he does is release a resigned sigh paired with a small, understanding smile. Nico steals another soft kiss before her eyes narrow and her gaze turns to Chase.

“You kissed my girlfriend?” Her tone is deadly. Chase visibly gulps, shrinking in on himself and trying to hide behind Gert.

“It was before you got together,” Chase defends himself, “It was one kiss, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Chase holds his hands up, slightly thankful Nico doesn’t have her staff, as Nico glares at him.

“Better not.” Gert mumbles before she can stop herself and the group turns as one to look at her. “What? I said that on behalf of Karolina and Nico.” Gert offers an explanation no one asked for, ignoring the way they continue to stare and swiftly changing the conversation topic back to their upcoming training. They remained talking in the backyard for a little while longer, until Kara came outside. 

“I hate to break this up, but you guys should probably get to sleep if you want to get an early start in the morning,” Kara says as she stands over the group. She’s dressed down then in jeans and an old college t-shirt. Old Lace is trailing behind her happily, which explains the slightly wild hair Kara is sporting. She must have been keeping Old Lace entertained while the kids talked, something that the dinosaur clearly enjoyed. 

“She’s right,” Nico agrees, though she doesn’t look all that happy about getting up from her perch on Karolina’s lap. “We’ve got a long day coming up.” 

Nico climbs to her feet and then offers her hand to Karolina to help her up as well. Karolina accepts the help and then extends her hand to Alex once she’s on her feet. Alex looks at her outstretched hand for a moment and then offers Karolina a small smile as he takes it and lets the taller girl pull him up. The three of them offer goodnights to their friends and Kara before heading into the house. Molly does the same a few minutes later, trailing behind Kara to ask her about when she’ll be strong enough to spare with Supergirl, leaving Chase, Gert, and Old Lace in the backyard. Old Lace soon takes off into the maze-like garden, leaving the young -more-than-friends-but-not-exactly-a-couple along together. 

“It looks like we’re training for American Ninja Warrior or something,” Chase remarks as he surveys the still packed up equipment that sits around them. Lena had gotten squat racks and a set up to do pull-ups, and several mats that they could use to spar on rather than fighting in the grass. “All we need now is a warped wall.”

“A what?” Gert asked, surprised by his words. She wasn’t expecting Chase to start talking about their upcoming workouts once they were alone. 

“A warped wall. It’s a tall wall with a curve at the top. You have to get a running start, grab the top of the wall, and haul yourself over.” Chase explained.

“Sounds like too much work.”

“I’ve never done it, but I always thought it would be pretty fun.”

“You would.” Gert rolls her eyes, but she smiles when Chase glances over at her. Silence falls over them again, broken only by the sound of Old Lace running through the gardens. 

“Do you think we’re doing the right thing?” He breaks the easy silence that had fallen over them, twisting his hands together. That’s the question that Gert was expecting to hear earlier, but it still catches her just a bit of guard. 

“What, working out?”

“No,” this time it’s Chase who rolls his eyes before turning serious again, “Going against our parents. Is fighting them the right thing?”

“I don’t know.” Gert answers, leaning her head on Chase’s shoulder. It’s a question she’s been pondering since they first left L.A. “I know what they are doing is wrong, even if they don’t think so.”

“But maybe they do, know it’s wrong, I mean,” Chase corrects himself, shaking his head slightly. “Well, all of them but my dad. He’s always been screwed up.”

“But they’re still doing it, even if they think it’s wrong,” Gert decides to leave his comment about his dad alone for the time being, not sure that either of them have the emotional strength to talk about their complicated relationships with their parents. “We owe it to ourselves, and to all the kids we couldn’t save before.” 

“To Amy,” Chase agrees. “I know. It just doesn’t make it any easier.” 

“If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.” 

There’s something that he wants to say, Gert can tell from the glint in his eyes when he looks at her again, but Chase stays quiet. He nods his head in agreement and then takes Gert’s hand in his own. Their fingers laced together easily, like they were made to hold one another. Gert leans her head against his shoulder and they stay like that for a little while longer, content to pretend like it’s just the two of them and the stars above for just a little while. 

Neither of them would admit it just then, but both agreed that they could live in that moment forever and never want for anything else. 

**___**

After assuring Molly that they’ll get a change to spar together sometime soon, Kara retreated to the kitchen for a late snack. She could still hear Gert and Chase in the backyard but she thought it was best to leave them be for now. Kara has a fairly good grasp of the dynamics that the group of six runaways holds, and she knows that there’s some unspoken thing happening between Gert and Chase. They have the same obvious attraction to each other that Nico and Karolina share, but unlike the girls, there’s something holding Gert and Chase back. Kara is content to watch things develop among the teenagers and lend whatever kind of support they need when they ask for it. 

She’s not all that surprised that Karolina is the only one of the Runaways to have opened up to her so far. She’s spent the most time with Karolina, and Molly to a lesser degree, working on controlling her powers and helping her learn how to fly. The rest of the teenagers are trusting to a degree. They’ll talk about plans and training and watch movies with Kara and Lena, but personal things are off the table. Gert had only gone as far as asking for her anxiety medication, and even that she had done under duress. 

Kara hopes that the kids will relax a little bit more once Karolina, Nico, and Alex return from L.A. with the Staff. It’s a big weight resting on all of their shoulders. Kara can see them look around like they’re expecting their parents to show up at any moment, or tense when Kara and Lena begin talking about the kids' parents. The trust isn’t quite there yet but Kara thinks that’s okay. It’s better to let the kids decide to trust them on their own than to try and force the matter. It was one thing to let Supergirl help them learn how to fight, it was another to trust Kara and Lena with their deepest secrets. 

Approaching footsteps pull Kara out of her thoughts and she focuses her hearing only to find Lena’s familiar heartbeat moving closer to the kitchen where Kara is in the process of making a sandwich for herself. There was another dynamic that Kara had decided to take a wait and see approach on. After their almost kiss a few days ago, Kara found that she had no idea how to act around Lena anymore. She’d never thought about kissing Lena before, but now that it’s almost happened she’s found that it’s all she can think about. 

“Oh, Kara,” Lena says as she walks into the kitchen. She’s wearing leggings and a long sleeve shirt, clearly dressed for bed. 

“Hey, I needed a snack,” Kara holds up her sandwich as an explanation for why she’s in the kitchen so late. “Want one?” 

“No, I just came down for some water,” Lena responds, pulling a refillable bottle from the fridge and taking a seat at the breakfast bar. Kara joins her a moment later, after she put up all the things she’d used to make her snack. 

“Can’t sleep?” Kara asks before taking a bite. Lena hums softly in response. 

“Just going over some finances, L-Corp is looking into making a big purchase but I’m not sure how feasible it would be.” 

“Want to talk about it?” 

“You want to hear about my company's financial standings?” Lena asked with a raised eyebrow. Kara shrugged her shoulders. 

“I want to hear about the things that are important to you, and this clearly is.” Kara explains lightly. Then, Lena’s smiling at her with that gentle smile that Kara swears she’s only ever seen directed at her and all Kara can think about is kissing that smile off Lena’s lips. She takes another bite of her sandwich to keep herself from making any unwanted movies. 

“It is, but it’s also a distraction right now. I don’t like thinking about Karolina, Nico, and Alex, having a run in with their parents again.” 

Kara nods, unsurprised by the admission. She’s often wondered if Lena sees herself in any of the teenagers they’ve found themselves taking care of now. The black sheep of the family standing out because they want to do what is right rather than what their family wanted them to do. It didn’t surprise Kara at all when Lena offered to help the kids. 

“I always thought being a Luthor was some kind of curse, you know. Like I didn’t belong with my family. If I could’ve escaped when I was a teenager like these kids have done, I would’ve.” 

“Is that why you decided to help them?” Kara asks curiously. 

“No one was there to help me when I needed it. I guess I hoped I could break the cycle.” Lena watches as Kara’s her plate to the sink and washes it quickly. “What about you? You seemed eager to help Karolina and Molly with their powers.” 

“That’s what I was supposed to do with Kal,” Kara set the plate aside to dry and rejoined Lena at the breakfast bar. “He was just a baby when we left Krypton but because I got stuck in the Phantom Zone, he was already an adult by the time I arrived on earth. My whole reason for being here was to train Kal in the ways of Krytpon. Until I became Supergirl, I felt like I didn’t have a purpose. Even after putting on the cape, I felt like something was missing.” 

“And that something is helping teenage superheroes?” 

“No, I think it was helping people like me. People who feel like they don’t belong here for one reason or another. I think that we’re showing these kids that they can be more than whatever their family decides for them. The more time they spend with us, the more they see that we’re more than a Super and Luther.” 

“Not that you can’t help people with your stories, but if you feel this way about helping them directly, why did you become a reporter?” 

“Oh, uh,” curiously, Kara blushed slightly. Lena watched with a fond smile as Kara stumbled over her words with bright red cheeks. “I hadn’t actually decided on that until you told me that you thought I’d be good at it.” 

“Really?” Lena feels her expression stretch into one of surprise. Kara offers a half-shrug and a blushing smile. 

“Yeah, I mean, I knew it would be a good cover for how I could find all the bad things happening around town, but it wasn’t something I had thought about doing before. It was always Clark’s thing. But when you suggested that I give it a try…” 

“I’m flattered that my opinion mattered that much to you when we’d only known each other for a few days.” Lena spoke warmly, resting her hand on Kara’s arm and squeezing gently. 

“Your opinion has always mattered to me. From the second we met, I wanted to know you better. I knew you were different from the rest of your family.” 

“How were you so sure?” Lena leaned a little closer in her curiosity, her hand sliding up to Kara’s shoulder. 

“Your eyes,” Kara said, blushing again. “Every time I’ve seen your brother or mom or anyone else, their eyes always looked so cold. But you, your eyes are bright and light and beautiful.” Kara smiles at her, gaze flickering between the eyes she’d been describing and the coy smile painted across Lena’s lips. “I didn’t think that anyone with eyes like that could be a villain.” 

“And what do you think now?” 

“That I was right about you, and that everything else about you is just as beautiful as your eyes.” 

“Kara,” Lena could feel herself leaning closer to the woman beside her, her hand slipping up to the nape of Kara’ neck and playing with her hair there. Kara’s body shifted as she turned, facing Lena fully now. Her arm reached for Lena’s waist and rested there gently. 

“Lena,” Kara returned, inclining her head so their foreheads pressed together. “I want this if you do.” 

“Really? Even after everything?” Lena couldn’t help the doubt that clouded her voice. She could feel Kara’s breath ghosting across her lips as the woman laughed softly. 

“Yes, really. It’s always been you, Lena.” Kara shifts closer to her, nearly falling off her seat in her quest to get closer to Lena. “But only if you’re ready.” 

“And if I’m not?” 

“I’ll wait. You are more than worth waiting for.” 

Kara speaks so surely that Lena has no choice but to believe the earnest words and no way to deny the effect they have on her. Lena had been called many things over the years, but she’s never been told in such clear terms how much she matters to anyone. She’s never wanted to kiss anyone more in her life and she can’t think of a single reason why she shouldn’t do just that. 

So she does. 

Their lips meet softly in the small space between them and it’s everything and nothing like Lena ever imagined kissing Kara would be like. It’s soft and easy and warm, but still sets Lena buzzing with anticipation of what it could lead to. Kara kisses her carefully, not like she’s afraid of breaking Lena but like Lena is something to be treasured, to be held close in a show of love and care. 

Lena doesn’t realize that she’s crying until Kara has pulled away and brushes the tears off Lena’s cheeks with the bads of her thumbs. 

“Lena?” Kara questions worriedly. Lena offers her a watery smile. 

“I’m not upset, Kara.” 

“The tears make me question that statement.” Kara replied quickly. Lena chuckled slightly and leaned in to kiss Kara again. 

“Happy tears, darling,” Lena promised as she pulled away. “I’ve never had anyone care about me the way you do. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” Kara pressed a kiss to Lena’s forehead. “And I’ll keep doing that for as long as you’ll let me. Just warn me the next time you cry from happiness, I thought I was just a terrible kisser.” 

“Definitely not,” Lena laughed lightly, “but if you’re worried about technique, we can always practice.” 

Kara quickly took Lena up on her offer. 

**___**

Ideally, Alex would have liked to have more of a plan before they went back to L.A. for the Staff, but they’d all agreed that time wasn’t really a luxury that they had. 

They’re on the road once again, but it’s a little different this time around. For one, only three of them are in the car, Nico, Karolina, and Alex himself. The car itself is also smaller since they won’t need to be hauling back loads of things from L.A., everything they need is at the Mansion in National City and, if all goes well, they’ll be returning there late that evening. Funny how they had driven for days on end and yet ended up settling in a city just a few hours away from their parents. Alex is also driving a little more carefully this time, not looking over his shoulder every few minutes to check if they’re being followed. He does this for two reasons. 

Number 1, he knows that they’re being followed but now that knowledge is kind of comforting to him. Alex Danvers is driving the SUV that follows them, with someone named James along for the ride. The six teenagers had met James Olsen briefly before they left that morning, and Alex could admit that he made a good first impression. It helped that he was on a first name basis with Supergirl, but it didn’t help that there was some obvious tension between him and Lena. Not romantic tension, Alex knew. There was no way Lena would ever be into James given the way she looked at Kara, but a tension nonetheless. Agent Danvers had said that James was good in a fight and since this technically wasn’t a mission for the DEO, they couldn’t officially order agents to help the kids out if needed. Alex really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. 

The second reason why he was driving so carefully was actually very simple. He really  _ really  _ did not want to wreck Lena Luthor’s car. Not only would he feel bad about that because it was Lena’s car, but he also knew his friends would give him shit about it until the end of time. He’d never live it down. Alex would much rather they picked on him about video games than about ruining a car that probably cost more than anything Alex had ever touched, which was saying something considering the wealth he’d grown up with. He could handle the teasing that had arisen while they’d been training-if half-heartedly sparring one another in matches that usually became little more than playful wrestling could be called training-and he wasn’t all too eager for that to change. 

If he’s driving a little slower than he probably should be, well, that’s just because he isn’t all that eager to return to L.A. The city is chock-full of bad memories for him, everything from losing Amy to losing his chance with Nico because of his own stupidity. 

Now that he’s had a few days to get used to the idea of Karolina and Nico being  _ Karolina and Nico _ , Alex can see that he never really had a chance in the first place. He knows Nico, they had been best friends before they lost Amy and even after, Alex still cared about her the same way. It just hurt to spend time with her because their trio was now a duo and neither of them knew how to deal with that. That’s why he thinks that he and Nico probably wouldn’t have worked out as well. They were both too prone to shutting up and shutting down when something went wrong. Nico needs Karolina to draw her out of her shell, to let her feel all the things she pretend that she didn’t anymore. 

It still stings, Alex thinks as he looks into the rearview mirror and sees his two friends sitting close together in the back seat. Karolina had originally intended to sit in the back alone, but Nico had climbed in after her. Alex hadn’t commented on it because he could tell that Nico was nervous about what would happen when they got to L.A.. Instead, he drove in silence and let the last vestiges of acceptance fill his heart. Nico was obviously happy with Karolina, and Alex thought she deserved a little bit of happiness after everything she’d been through. Far be it for him to stand in her way or make her feel bad about being happy with Karolina. Making a mental note to talk to Nico once they got home, Alex fixed his gaze back on the road and continued to drive carefully. 

**___**

The distraction of putting together the workout machines hadn’t lasted all that long and now the Mansion feels empty with three of its inhabitants absent. Gert feels the absence of Nico, Karolina, and Alex more than she thought she would. Her fingers twist a loose thread on her sweater, she’s bitten her nails down far enough that when she goes to bite them again, she’s met with only skin. She’s sitting near the bottom of the steps in the Mansion’s foyer and her gaze alternating between the front door and her own chipped nail polish.

“They’re going to be fine, Gert.” Chase rubs a comforting hand down her back and Gert can’t help but relax. He hasn’t left her side since the others left with Alex. Even Molly had to move around, her feet bouncing and fingers tapping against her legs until she loudly proclaimed, she was going to go wrestle with Old Lace in the yard. Lena and Kara both had to leave, despite wanting to stay home. Keeping the Runaways safe involved the adults in their life acting like nothing was out of the ordinary, even when three of the kids they were caring for were off possibly risking their lives to get a magic staff. 

“I know.” Gert nods. “Rationally, I know that. They’ve got Danvers and that other dude with them, Karolina could probably take out anything that comes at them, and Nico and Alex are totally capable of defending themselves too, doubly so once Nico gets the staff. I know that, I do.” Gert also knows she’s over explaining everything, but she can’t help it. “But my brain isn’t always rational and I’m not going to actually believe they’re fine until they get home again.”

“What can I do to help?” Chase asks so sincerely, though Gert is surprised he asked at all. He’s constantly surprising her; he’s far more observant and insightful that she gives him credit for. She thought he couldn’t surprise her any more, not after knowing each other their whole lives. This might be the only time in her life she’s happy to have been wrong.

“I-I don’t know.”

Chase nodded. “Do you want to help me work on the Fistigons?” They’d been returned to him the previous week, after lots of pleading on Chase’s part and several assurances from Kara that there wouldn’t be any property damage.

“I wouldn’t understand half of what you do.” Gert pointed out.

“That doesn’t matter,” Chase stood, offering his hand to Gert, “it’s not about the work. I just want to help you relax. I know there’s not much I can do until the others get back, but I can at least try to help.”

“You do help, Chase,” Gert accepted his hand and let him lead her to the room who had claimed as his workshop. “It’s not as hard to think when I’m around you. I don’t feel like I have to analyze everything, I can just be. That helps more than you know.”

“Good, I’m glad.” Chase smiles at her and Gert is struck by how such a simple conversation can make her feel so extraordinary. Then, she supposes, Chase has always had that effect on her. Even when they were kids, Gert would put up significantly less of a fight to do something Chase wanted to do, even though most of it required athletic skills that Gert does not possess and has no desire too.

“So,” Gert begins slowly after a few minutes of comfortable silence passes. She’s had something on her mind for days now, something she desperately wants to clear up, but they’re always surrounded by everyone else in the house. She and Chase don’t have the advantage of sharing a bedroom like Karolina and Nico, who can actually keep their private conversations private. “I think there’s something we should talk about.”

“Okay?” Chase puts his tools down, turning in his seat to face Gert fully. “What’s up?”

“Um, well, you see, the thing is-“Gert huffs slightly, “we had sex.”

“Yeah, that’s a thing that happened.” Chase’s Adam's apple bobs as he swallows. “Do you, I mean,” Chase clears his throat and tears his eyes away from Gert’s. “Did you not want to? I mean, I know you wanted too, at the time. But it doesn’t have to happen again.”

“It doesn’t?”

“NO! I thought you wanted it to be a one-time thing.” Chase shakes his head. “I’ve been trying not to pressure you or anything like that, even though I really want to do it again.”

“You do?” Gert’s expression is shocked, her eyes wide beneath her round glasses.

“Of course, I do.” Chase takes Gert’s hands in his own. “Gert, that moment we shared, it means everything to me. I meant every word I said that night. I see you, I’ve always seen you. I will always see you.”

“Do you really mean that?” Gert’s voice betrayed her emotions, shaking with affection, hope, and fear.

“Every word.” Chase promised. “You mean the world to me Gert, and I’m always going to be here for you, however you need me to be.”

“Chase, I – I don’t know what to say.” Chase shook his head, his dimpled smile making Gert’s heart race.

“You don’t have to say anything.” Their eyes met, and Chase opened his mouth to say more but suddenly found his lips otherwise occupied.

Gert’s lips were softer than he remembered, her body not as soft, a product of their constant workouts, but she tasted the same. Her lips moved over his slowly, like she was afraid if she pushed too hard, he’d pull away. Chase did the opposite, using his strong arms to pull Gert flush against him. The motion pulls Gert into Chase’s lap, her legs wrapping around his waist as their lips connect again and again.

“I’m not ready,” Gert says through panting breaths when their lips finally separate moments later, “to do it again. I’m not – Is it weird to want to go slow after I’ve already seen you naked?”

“No,” Chase chuckles lightly, “it’s great. We can do this however you want to.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Chase sealed the deal with a soft kiss to Gert’s temple.

“Oh my god, FINALLY!” Molly’s yell made Gert jump so hard she fell off Chase's lap and landed by his feet in a heap. “I’ve been waiting for you two to kiss and make up for forever.”

“Molly! Knocking is a thing you know!” Chase rose from his seat to help Gert up.

“Yeah, when the door is closed. You guys left it wide open.” Molly rolled her eyes as her sister glared at her. “Now, c’mon. I’m hungry and you’re the best cook here since Lena’s at work.”

“Okay, okay, we’re coming.” Gert shooed her sister off with a wave of her hand. “Well. That was mortifying.”

“At least it was just Molly,” Chase offered as he wrapped his arm around Gert’s shoulders. “Nico would tease us for years if she caught us like that.”

“Yeah, but we could get Nico back. It’s like we haven’t seen her and Karolina in compromising positions.” Gert knocked her head against Chase’s shoulder. “Molly’s too innocent to tease about that, yet.”

“We’ll get her back for it someday.” Chase promised lightly. “For now, we should get to the kitchen before she tries to cook and sets something on fire. Again.”

**___**

They’ve been on the road for a little under two hours and with each second, they get closer to LA, Nico can feel her nerves igniting. She knows they need to do this. They need to get the Staff away from Tina. She needs to have something that she can use to protect her friends, to protect Karolina. She knows the Staff is an advantage they can’t afford to not have. Despite knowing that, the thought of returning to LA, to her childhood home, to all the memories it holds makes her sick to her stomach in a way she never expected.

She can’t help but wonder what Amy would think of all this. Not just the truth about Pride but about them running away, about her and Karolina, about living with Lena Luthor who is without a doubt their parents’ biggest adversary in the tech industry. Would Amy agree with everything they’ve done? Everything she’s done? She always liked Karolina, but would she like her as Nico’s girlfriend? Nico likes to think she would have, but she avoids thinking about it as much as possible. Wondering what Amy would think doesn’t change the fact Amy isn’t here. She’ll never know what Amy thinks about anything, ever again. Knowing that now, with everything that’s changed in her life, hurts more than it did when Amy first passed.

“Baby?” Karolina’s soft voice brings Nico out of her thoughts and she focuses on their joined hands. Her knuckles are white, straining against her skin as she squeezes Karolina’s hand too tightly.

“Oh, sorry,” Nico relaxes her hold on Karolina’s hand, watching as her fingers flex slightly before they move out of Nico’s field of vision. A weight settles over her shoulders, the warmth of Karolina’s hand rests on her outer arm as she’s pulled close. Nico’s head moves so she’s tucked in the crook between Karolina’s shoulder and neck. It’s not the most comfortable position given their cramped seats in the back of the car, but Nico’s too grateful for the contact to care. She inhales deeply through her nose, the scent and feel of Karolina easing her nerves if only for a moment.

“It’s okay,” Karolina tells her after kissing her hair again, “I know you’re nervous about going back there. I am, too.” Karolina’s voice is low, only for Nico to hear. “We can do this, and then we’ll be back home with potstickers and Chase badly singing along to Moana.” Nico laughs despite herself. They’ve taken to having movie nights for the past week at the Mansion, as a way for the teenagers to relax and feel normal for a little while, even if they can’t really forget about everything going on around them. Chase had enjoyed the last movie they watched a few days ago, Moana, immensely and had been signing Maui’s song dramatically every chance he got.

“Home,” Nico whispers back, turning her face to kiss Karolina’s neck gently.

“Home,” Karolina repeats. She squeezes Nico to her side and presses a kiss against her hair as the streets around them become increasingly more familiar. All too soon, Alex is putting his foot on the break and Nico lifts her head from Karolina’s shoulder. 

Alex parked the suburban a block away from the Minoru household before turning in his seat to look at his two friends in the back seat. 

“Are we sure about this?” He asks them quietly. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Agent Danvers park the SUV she’d been driving a short distance away and watches as she climbs out. 

“We’re sure my mom can’t keep the Staff,” Nico answers, squeezing the hand she holds tightly in her own. “That’s going to have to be enough for now.” 

“It is,” Karolina returns the press on her hand. “We get in, grab the Staff, and get out.” 

“I’ll grab whatever files I can while you do that.” Alex agrees, meeting Karolina’s gaze again. A silent understanding passes between them, Karolina knows that Nico won’t be left alone for a moment even if something goes wrong. “We’re doing this?” 

Nico reaches over Karolina with her free hand and pushes the back door of the car open. “We’re going this.” 

The three teenagers climbed out of the car and met Alex D. and James in the space between where the two vehicles are parked. 

“Okay, we’ve got eyes on the house from here. Karolina, send up a flare if you need us. You remember how?” Karolina nodded. “Good. Remember it’s not too late to go back. You don’t have to do this.”

Alex looked each of the teenagers in the eye, knowing they would do this no matter what.

“Keep the car running.” Nico’s voice sounded surer than she felt. “This won’t take long.”

They turned towards the street, Nico leading the way, and quickly began walking towards the Minoru home. 

“You okay, Alex?” James asked, watching Alex watch the kids walk away. He’s only seen her anxious like this a few times before, and only ever when Kara was in danger. It speaks to the care she has for these kids, even if she won’t admit it. James knows she’s been feeling down since Maggie left, and that these kids showing up had been the distraction she needed. He was glad his friend seemed to be doing better, even if he didn’t know the whole story about these kids yet. 

“Ask me again when they come back.”

**___**

“You okay?” Karolina asks when they pause at the end of the driveway leading to Robert and Tina’s garage. Her hand found the small of Nico’s back, rubbing gently.

“No,” Nico answers honestly, looking up at Karolina. “But I will be, once we get this over with.”

“Okay,” Karolina has a very strong urge to pull Nico into her, steer her away from her old home and say to hell with the mission. They don’t need the Staff. But she knows they do, and that leaving now will delay the inevitable. “Let’s do this.”

“The blind spot’s over here.” Nico leads Karolina and Alex through a small whole in the bushes around the side of the house to the Wizard control panel. Alex uses a rock to break off the lock holding the door closed and Nico pulls it open.

“Light it up, Diamonds,” Alex encourages her as he takes a step back from the console. The nickname reminds Karolina that they’ve not alone in all of this anymore. She hears Kara’s voice in her head, instructing her on how to center herself and control her powers. Nico, on Karolina’s other side, places a reassuring hand on her arm.

“You can do this, Karo,” she whispers softly, her thumb rubbing a soothing pattern on the inside of Karolina’s wrist. Karolina nods slightly, removes her bracelet, and concentrates her lights on her right hand. She takes a step forward, hand stretched out in front of her and directs the energy into a singular beam.

The beam connects with the console, sparks shooting out. Alex flinches back slightly but Nico steps closer to Karolina, ready to push her out of the way if things get out of hand. She hears the garage doors open, a slight buzzing in her ears indicating the rest of the house coming to life as Karolina fries the circuits.

“You’ve got it.” Nico says a second after Karolina drops the beam. There’s a bead of sweat on her forehead from the effort of keeping her lights focused, but she smiles proudly when Nico confirms she did her job. “Let’s keep moving, we don’t know how much time we have.”

They enter the Minoru house from the back, the automated doors wide open thanks to Karolina’s abilities. There’s no sign of Nico’s parents around the house, but they still move as quietly as they can across the bottom floor. Nico leads the way to her mother’s office, her shoulders tense and hands clenched at her sides. Karolina wants to reach out to her, take her hand, kiss her head and remind her that she’s not alone but she knows she can’t. Nico’s determined to get the Staff, and she knows Karolina and Alex are with her every step of the way, and they have the support of Molly, Chase and Gert back in National City. Nico’s not alone, but she shoulders the burden of protecting her friends like she is.

“Alex, you can access her computer from there.” Nico directs Alex to her mothers’ desk as they enter the home office. Alex nods, pulling a nondescript flash drive from his pocket. Agent Danvers had supplied the drive, set up to copy all available information they find on Pride automatically and send it to a secure DEO server, just in case they have to make a speedy getaway and can’t grab the drive on the way out.

Nico turned to the back wall after Alex moved to the desk and Karolina took up her position next to the door to the office, staring at the case that housed the Staff of One. She was half-way expecting to not find it in the case, and the fact that it was there made her uneasy.

“Nico?” Karolina questioned softly after glancing over her shoulder to see that Nico hadn’t moved. She took a small step, intending to move to Nico’s side but at the same time unwilling to leave them undefended if Robert or Tina walked in.

Nico shook her head, breaking her spiraling thoughts and turning her head to meet Karolina’s eyes. She nodded once, her face a perfect mask but her eyes lit with apprehension. Karolina nodded back and sent what she hoped was a reassuring smile in Nico’s direction before turning to look out the door again.

Nico stepped up to the case, reaching for the catch on the side her mom had shown her the one time they worked with the Staff together. She forced herself to breath evenly, her discomfort growing in the silence of the house. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears, barely able to make out the sound of Alex typing at her mother’s desk. The Staff warmed in her hand, as if it was happy to be held by Nico again. Nico released one quick, startled breath. They had the Staff, she did it.

“Alex, you got anything?” Karolina asked suddenly, drawing Nico and Alex’s gaze to her. She held her silver bracelet in one hand, the other dimly glowing as she held it in front of her body.

“I’m not sure, but I copied all the files I could find.”

“Good, because we need to leave. Now.” Alex nodded, removing the flash drive and making sure the desk looked the same as it did when they entered.

“Karolina, what’s going on?” Nico asked as she moved closer to her girlfriend. Karolina held a finger to her lips, signaling for Nico to be quiet. Karolina took a hesitant step forward, her body half-way out of the office and arm raised to defend herself if necessary, before taking a sudden step backwards.

She reached for Nico with one hand, Alex with the other, pulling both of them to the wall with her. She silently clipped her bracelet onto her jeans after ensuring Alex would stay put if she released him. Karolina kept her hold on Nico secure, half hiding her with her own body. Nico looked at her questioningly, opening her mouth to speak again but Karolina placed a finger over her lips.

“Karo, what’s happening?” Nico asked as softly as she could, her voice shaking with fear and nerves.

“They’re here.” Karolina whispered back, her head turned so she could listen out the office door. She directed Alex stand on the other side of Nico, shielding her from both sides, as the voices finally reached Nico’s ears.

“Are we sure this is happening then? We can’t afford to be wrong about this.” Nico sucked in a breath at the sound of her mother’s voice.

“I’m sure,” Janet Stein answered, “he’s running out of time and Victor is refusing to help anymore.”

“He’s running out of options.” Catherine Wilder added, “that means he’s going to be even more dangerous.”

“We have one shot at this.” Dale said.

“We don’t know if we’ll ever be able to get more serum. We have to do this right.”

“Um, Tina,” Robert asked, Nico leaning heavily against Karolina at the sound of his father’s voice, “did you tell Wizzy to open every automated door in the house?”

“Of course not,” Tina scoffed, “why on earth would I do that?”

“Then why are they all open?” There was a beat of silence coming from the living room followed by a rush of footsteps, headed towards Tina’s office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far! Please let me know what you think!


	7. Confrontations and Consequences

“Don’t come any closer!” Karolina stepped out of the office door, both hands glowing fiercely and a determined glint in her eye.

“Karolina! What are you doing – Nico?” Tina’s gaze fell to her daughter as she stepped up behind Karolina, Alex flanking her other side.

“Alex!” Catherine called to her son, taking an involuntary step forward. Karolina aimed one of her glowing hands at Catherine.

“Where’s Chase?” Janet’s voice shook slightly.

“Gert? Molly?” Dale stood on his tiptoes, trying to see over the kid’s shoulders.

“They aren’t here.” Nico said lowly. She held the Staff behind her back, ready for her mother to try and take it from her.

“Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick.” Robert stepped up beside his wife, eyes only for his daughter. “Nico, we- “

“Save it, I don’t want to hear it.” Nico snapped at him. “We came here for one thing, and we’ve got it. We’re leaving now.”

“Wait,” Janet stepped forward again, “please, we – there’s things we need to talk to you kids about.”

“We have nothing to say to you,” Karolina’s hands pulsed in warning. She shot Alex a look over her shoulder, the boy nodded and grabbed Nico’s arm.

“Then just listen, please?” When the kids didn’t move, Janet continued. “We don’t have much time. Jonah’s moving forward with his plans. He’s going to knock California into the sea.”

“We found out what’s at the bottom of that hole.” Stacey spoke up for the first time as she joined Janet. “It’s the ship Jonah arrived in, centuries ago.”

“But that’s not all,” Dale picked up where his wife left off. “Jonah, he wasn’t alone when he came here. His family is on the ship, too.”

“You’re family, Karolina.” Tina said, watching how the teenagers reacted. Karolina’s eyes widened slightly, her lights flickering for a second. Nico pulled her arm out of Alex’s grip to put her hand on Karolina’s back.

“When is this happening?” Nico asked when it became apparent Karolina wasn’t going to say anything.

“One month from tomorrow,” Robert answered, “and you kids need to be as far away from here as possible when that happens.”

“Why are you telling us this?” Karolina asked shakily, hating how weak she sounded.

“You’re our children,” Janet answered, “you’ve all been like family to us since you were born. That hasn’t changed just because you ran away.”

“We’re trying to protect you,” Robert said pleadingly. “We know you aren’t safe here, not anymore. We’d do anything to keep you safe, you know that.”

“Do we?” Alex spoke up for the first time. “All the kids you killed, everything you’ve done to cover it up. Turning us in for murder? That was all done in the name of keeping us safe?” Alex scoffed.

“Alex, you don’t understand,”

“I understand perfectly.” Alex interrupted his mother. “You guys have no idea what it really means to be a family. None of you do.”

“We’re your parents, Alex.” Catherine shook her head, “we’ve only ever wanted the best for you.”

“We love you.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mom.” Nico glared at her mother. “You say you’re protecting us, trying to provide for us, for me. But you and I both know we haven’t been mother and daughter in a long time. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.” Nico’s eyes flickered over to her father, her hand gripping the fabric of Karolina’s shirt tighter. “We’re leaving.”

Alex and Nico moved behind Karolina, heading for the door they entered through.

“I’m sorry Nico, but I can’t let you leave with the Staff.” Tina held her hand out.

“You don’t have a choice.” Nico refused to let go of the Staff as it jumped in her hand.

“Nico, let go.” Tina ordered, following the three teenagers into the backyard. Robert followed her out, but gestured for Catherine, Janet, and the Yorkes to stay by the door instead of coming all the way out.

“We need to leave now,” Alex said, looking over his shoulder at where he knew Agent Danvers sat in a suburban down the street. “Nico,”

“She’s not going anywhere with that Staff.” Before the Runaways could react, Tina rushed up the group, ducking under the beam Karolina sent at her and rising to her feet again. She released three quick strikes against Karolina, hitting her in the stomach, side, and throat. Karolina collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Tina moved to her daughter once Karolina was down, using Nico’s distress over Karolina to physically rip the Staff from her hands. She swept the Staff to the side, knocking Nico to one side and Alex to the other.

“Karolina!” Nico called, ignoring the ache in her own shoulder from her fall and crawling to Karolina’s side.

“FREEZE!” Tina’s powerful voice called as she held her arm over the pool. Ice cracked across the top, loud thumps emanating from below it.

“Alex!” Catherine called but was kept from rushing into the yard by Dale and Janet.

“Get the Staff,” Karolina croaked harshly, her throat protesting every movement. “I’ll get Alex.”

“Tina, release the spell!” Catherine demanded but it fell on deaf ears. Karolina moved to the edge of the pool, both hands lit and aiming a single, focused beam at the ice.

“Tina!” Robert called. “That’s enough!”

“Nico, the ice is too thick!” Karolina yelled out, her voice cracking with the effort. The ice was melting but nowhere near fast enough. Karolina couldn’t figure out how much power to put behind her beams. She wanted to melt the ice without melting Alex along with it. Alex’s pounding on the ice grew weaker by the second. 

Nico rushed at her mother, forcing her to use the Staff to block the furious blows Nico aimed at her body. Her concentration broken, Tina’s ice spell dropped, and Karolina pulled a coughing Alex from the water. Nico continued her onslaught, grabbing the Staff with both hands. The Staff pulsed in her hands, and Tina looked nervous for the first time.

Using the Staff as a boost, Tina used Nico’s grip on the tool to swing her in a large circle. She used the momentum the movement offered to throw Nico away from her, she crashed into her friends. An audible crunch sounded as Karolina let out a sharp scream.

“Karolina!” Nico clambered off her girlfriend and Alex, watching with wide, angry eyes as Karolina cradled her arm to her chest. Alex moved behind Karolina, supporting her weight with his own while he took off his jacket to wrap her arm.

Nico felt her spine stiffen as she rose to face her mother, red clouding her vision with each whimper that came from Karolina’s mouth. She could feel the anger rushing through her veins, clouding her thoughts. Karolina was hurt. Her mother hurt Karolina, her Karolina, the person Nico was falling in love with. Nico could only see red. She felt like she was moving in slow motion, her hand rising on its own accord, open as if to grab something. Tina watched with wide eyes as the Staff jumped from her hand to her daughters. Refusing to let go, Tina moved to rush forward until she found herself stuck in place.

Nico held the Staff out in front of her, the halo glowing to signal an active spell, though no sound came out of her mouth. Tina had been on the receiving end of many glares from her daughter, but she’d never seen as much anger in her eyes as she did now. Tina turned her head towards her husband, silently telling him to do something. Robert tried to move forward and failed, stuck just as securely as Tina.

“Nico, we need to get Karolina out of here!” Alex yelled when Nico didn’t move. “Nico!” His cries grew more desperate with each second that they remained in the backyard.

“Nico,” Karolina’s voice was no louder than a whisper, but it was enough to break Nico out of whatever spell had taken her over.

“Karolina,” Nico turned, the red fading from her vision as she returned to her injured girlfriends’ side. “I’m here, baby. It’s okay. We’re getting you out of here, now.” Karolina nodded, her eyes falling closed as Nico pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

“Help me get her up,” Alex said softly, “I’ll carry her to the car.” He kept his voice low so the adults watching them wouldn’t know they had an escape plan.

“Karolina, I- “

“I think you’ve done enough, Tina.” Janet’s voice was harsher than Nico had ever heard, but she paid it no mind. Karolina released another soft whimper as Alex maneuvered her into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Karolina.”

“It’s okay, Alex.” Karolina whispered back, “just keep moving. It’s going to hurt no matter what.”

Alex nodded, making sure Karolina was secure against his chest before making his way out of the Minoru backyard as quickly as he could without hurting Karolina more. Nico followed behind him, her eyes glued to Karolina, the shrunken Staff in her hand. They rushed down the driveway, every painfilled sound coming from Karolina breaking Nico’s heart. She could see the DEO suburban in the distance, relief filling her being. They had stayed exactly where Agent Danvers said they would. Karolina wouldn’t have to suffer for too much longer.

James, after some prompting from Alex, made his way down the street when he noticed the three teenagers rushing towards them. jumped out of the passenger seat before the car came to a halt, pulling open the back door for Alex. He didn’t pause to ask questions he took in Alex’s soaked clothes and the obviously in pain Karolina. Instead he scooped Karolina out of Alex’s arms and ushered them back down the street. 

“What the hell happened?” Agent Danvers asked as they approached the two vehicles at run, moving much faster than they had been when Alex was carrying Karolina. 

“Our parents showed up,” Alex answered the question. “Some of them anyway. Nico’s mom wouldn’t let us leave with the Staff. We had to fight her off.” Alex ran a hand through his wet hair, splashing water onto the seat. His clothes were soaked and clinging to him, his glasses dotted with water, but he seemed to not notice.

“And Karolina?”

“I – I don’t know. We heard something crack. I think it was her arm.” Alex ran his hand through his hair again as he looked at his friends. Nico had one arm wrapped around her own waist, the other carding through Karolina’s hair gently. Karolina looked pale, though her tears had slowed, and leaned her head heavily against James’ shoulder. 

“Karolina, I need you to look at me sweetie.” Danvers requested gently as she pulled the suburban into an empty parking lot. She cut the engine and turned in her seat to look directly at the injured teenager. “Karolina, can you tell me where it hurts?”

“Arm,” Karolina grunted out, “throat.” Nico kissed her shoulder, the closest part of Karolina that she could reach.

“Okay, good job. You’re doing great, Karolina. We’re going to get you to the DEO, okay?” Alex pressed her hand to her ear piece. “Vasquez? We need a chopper, emergency medevac.”

“ _ Landing in three _ ,” Vasquez answered. Part of Alex hates that they had the chopper on standby but the other half of her is just relieved that they can get Karolina to the DEO quicker. 

“What’s going on?” Nico asked worriedly.

“We’re bringing in a chopper. We’ll get the three of you back to National City and the DEO that way.” Alex reached out to squeeze Nico’s arm gently. “We’ll get her home, Nico. I promise.”

A rhythmic beating reached their ears a few moments later and they all looked to the sky to see a black helicopter coming in for a landing in an empty grass lot half a block away.

“Karolina, James is going to carry you to the chopper, okay?” Karolina nodded her consent. James made sure he had a good grip on the young girl before moving in the direction of the chopper with the other two teenagers and Alex hot on his heels. Karolina was quickly situated in the helicopter and strapped in. Alex W. rushed around to the other side and climbed in as well, helping Karolina balance while Nico climbed up after her, securing the Staff of One on her belt loop and accepting the hand Alex offered her to help her into the chopper. She moved to Karolina’s side again as soon as she was on board. Agent Danvers boarded the chopper, pulled the side door closed behind her and signaled to the pilot to take off.

Nico felt Karolina grow heavy in her arms, the blonde slumping even further against her. She was about to panic, her eyes growing wide and heart rate accelerating until Agent Danvers handed her a headset.

“She’s okay,” her voice filtered through the muffs covering Nico’s ears. “She’s just exhausted and in pain. It’s better for her to sleep now, she won’t hurt as much.” 

“What about Lena’s car?’ Alex asked the agent and if Nico was feeling a little better about the whole situation they were in, she might have laughed at his worry. 

“James is driving it back, and another agent is in the DEO car. I’m sure Lena will understand why we took the chopper instead.” 

“Right,” Alex pushed his glasses up his nose and then seemed to realize that the lenses were still covered in drops of water so he took them off to clean them. Another agent in the chopper handed him a dry wipe silently and Alex took it without comment. He couldn’t dry his glasses with a wet shirt. 

With the conversation clearly over, Nico nodded and pulled the headset off before shifting Karolina into a more comfortable position, careful not to nudge her arm and ignoring the pain in her own shoulder that throbbed with each motion. They did it. They got the Staff, but Nico wouldn’t consider it a victory. Not with Alex beside her, soaking wet from almost drowning, and Karolina, injured and exhausted in her arms. Nico’s jaw clenched, and she pulled Karolina tighter against her chest.

This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

**____**

It feels like an eternity had passed by the time Nico was allowed to see Karolina again. Kara had greeted them at the DEO when they arrived, explaining that Lena would bring the rest of the Runaways over once the three of them had been checked over and cleared. Then, Kara had gently lifted Karolina out of Nico’s arms and carried her off. Nico had tried to follow her, not wanting to leave Karolina’s side, but Alex stopped her before she could move.

“Nico, I know you want to be with her,” Alex gripped Nico’s arm gently, noticing the wince she tried to conceal. “And you will be soon, okay, I promise. But I need to check you both over first. Make sure you aren’t injured, too.”

“Alex, I need to – “

“I know, Nico. I know.” Alex nodded. “And you will. They’re taking Karolina to a private room. I’ll take you there myself as soon as I can. I promise. But you know Karolina would want you to look after yourself.”

“I’m fine, Alex.”

“No, you’re not. Nico, please.” Nico stiffened slightly when her friends touched her shoulder, Alex stepping up behind her. “Karolina’s going to need you, and she’s going to need you safe and taken care of.”

“Fine,” Nico conceded, letting the Agent lead her away while Alex went to change into the dry clothes Agent Schott brought him.

Nico moved robotically while Alex checked her over. She had some bruising on her back from impacting with both the ground and her friends, and her shoulder was sprained from both the fall and from Tina using her as a wrecking ball. Alex said it wasn’t too bad an injury, but she did insist on putting Nico’s arm in a sling. She was given a pair of black sweat pants and t-shirt to change into, she hadn’t even noticed that her clothes were wet from the makeshift sling Alex had made with his hoodie. Then, she was left alone while Agent Danvers went to check over Karolina. Nico felt like hours had passed by the time Alex came into the room and asked Nico to follow her to Karolina’s room.

Karolina was awake when Nico entered the room, talking softly with Kara.

“You’ve got a guest, Diamonds.” Alex said as she entered the room with Nico in tow. Somehow hearing Alex use the increasingly familiar nickname for Karolina set Nico just a little more at ease, but she won’t completely relax until she’s checked Karolina for herself. 

“Nico,” Karolina smiled as her girlfriend came into view, her makeup smeared and hair that had been styled perfectly before reduced to a tangled mess. Karolina’s throat aches and her arms throbbing but she discovers that she really doesn’t care as Nico approaches the bed Karolina’s resting in and throws her arm around Karolina’s shoulders.Kara, who had been keeping Karolina company while they waited for Nico, smiled at the reunion that played out in front of her.

“Karo,” Nico whispers her name against Karolina’s neck before pressing a kiss in the same spot.

“I’m okay, Nico.” Karolina says back, nodding slightly at Kara and Alex as they slowly move out of the room. Nico pulls back at the sound of the door falling closed and seems surprised to find herself alone with Karolina.

“Your arm?” Nico asks, fingers ghosting over the hard, black cast that covers the majority of Karolina’s left forearm.

“It was a clean break,” Karolina explains, “Alex said I’ve already made progress healing. Something about not suppressing my powers while it mends.”

“And your throat?” Nico had noticed how rough Karolina’s voice sounded.

“Just bruised.” Karolina catches Nico’s good hand in her own, bringing Nico’s hand to her lips and placing a kiss against her knuckles. “And you? What happened to your arm?”

“Strained shoulder,” Nico explains softly, “Alex is making we wear the sling as a precaution. I’ve got some bruises on my back, but nothing serious.” Nico untangled their hands, so she could cup Karolina’s cheek. Karolina leant into the touch.

“We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?” Karolina chuckles.

“Karolina, I – “

“I know,” Karolina cut Nico off, anticipating the apology on her lips. “None of this is your fault, baby.”

“I should have let her have the Staff.”

“No, Nico, you did the right thing. We can’t let Pride have something that powerful on their side.”

“She hurt you, Karolina.” Nico hated how her voice shook as she spoke. “She wouldn’t have stopped. She’s supposed to protect me and love me more than anyone else in the world. And I had to watch her hurt someone I love.”

“Nico,” Karolina reached for Nico, gripping her waist gently.

“I can’t watch that again, I can’t.” Nico shakes her head, as if she’s trying to forcibly remove the memory from her head. “I felt so powerless. I never want to feel that way again. Not if it means you get hurt.”

Karolina rose from her bed, pulling Nico fully into her embrace. Nico held her just as tightly, fighting against the tears that wanted to fall from her eyes. She took a deep breath, the scent of Karolina lingering in her nose. Karolina held Nico as close as she could with one arm in a cast, cradling Nico’s head where it rested against her chest.

“We’re safe, Nico.” Karolina whispered into her hair. “We did what we had to do, and we made it through. We’re safe, we’re with people that care about us, and we’re together.” Karolina dropped a kiss onto Nico’s forehead. “I’m here, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”

Nico pulled back just enough to look Karolina in the eye. She’s always found Karolina’s eyes mesmerizing. They hold so much emotion buried in infinite shades of blue. Nico could spend hours navigating through the ocean before her and never get bored. Always open, never guarded, that’s how Karolina’s eyes are every time she looks at Nico. Nico can see all the feelings Karolina has for her, everything that Nico knows Karolina sees in Nico’s own eyes. Everything that she’s too scared to admit she feels.

Karolina leaned down, connecting her lips with Nico’s softly. Nico leaned her forehead against Karolina’s when they parted, breathing deep and feeling Karolina’s breaths against her own lips.

“Come lay down with me.” Karolina whispered when Nico opened her eyes again. “I’m supposed to be resting, but I always feel better with you close.”

Nico agrees, pressing their lips together again before helping Karolina crawl back into her bed. Once she’s settled, Nico joins her girlfriend and curls against her chest on her uninjured side. Karolina’s hand slips beneath the back of Nico’s top to rest against the soft skin of her back, stroking gently. Nico feels the last bits of adrenaline fading from her body, exhaustion slipping in. With Karolina’s hand against her back and heartbeat beneath her ear, Nico lets the exhaustion in her bones take over and closes her eyes. The last thing she feels before she falls asleep is Karolina’s lips against her forehead.

**___**

“Kara,” Lena called as she entered the hallway leading to the private room Karolina had been given at the DEO with Chase, Gert, and Molly trailing behind her. They stopped outside Karolina’s door, where Kara stood with her sister and Alex. “How are they?”

“They’re okay,” Kara met Lena’s eyes before quickly moving her gaze to the three scared teenagers standing beside them. “They’ve got some injuries but it’s nothing serious.”

“What happened?” Gert’s grip on Chase’s arm was so tight her nails left indents on his skin.

“Our parents were there, some of them.” Alex answered, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Nico’s parents, and yours,” he gestured to Gert and Molly, “your Mom, Chase, and mine, too.”

“Nico’s mom wouldn’t give up the Staff without a fight, would she?” Gert already knew the answer, but she needed to hear the confirmation. “How bad was it?”

“Bad,” Alex shook his head, “she tried to drown me, Karolina’s got a broken arm, and Nico. She was – I’ve never seen her so angry before. It’s like she wasn’t in control of her body.” He sighed heavily, the events of the day weighing on his shoulders. “But we got the Staff, and I copied all the files from Tina’s computer that I could. Agent Schott’s going over them now.”

“Can we see them?” Chase directed his question to Agent Danvers.

“They may not be up for talking.”

“I know,” Chase corrected himself after Gert pinched his arm, “we know. That’s fine. They’re our family.”

“Okay, go on in. Just try not to make too much noise.” The four teenagers nodded and moved past Alex as she held the door open. Lena, Kara, and Alex caught a glimpse of Nico and Karolina curled together on the bed as Alex pulled the door closed.

Once out of sight of the teenagers, Lena’s shoulders heaved and she all but collapsed against Kara.

“Lena, hey, let’s go sit down.” Kara caught her easily, directing her to a private room further down the hall and leaving Alex to watch over the kids. “Lena? Lena, please tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing, nothing,” Lena sniffled as she sat down in an uncomfortable chair located near the corner of the room Kara had led her too. “I’m fine.”

“I thought we agreed to not keep secrets from each other anymore.” Kara crouched in front of Lena, her hands warm and soothing where they rested against Lena’s knees. “Safe space, remember? You can tell me anything.”

Lena nodded, swallowing against the emotion in her throat. She could really use a glass of wine, but she knows Kara won’t go for that until they have everything sorted. “I was just worried about them.”

It’s just the tip of the iceberg of emotions Lena’s dealing with, but it seems to be the most prevalent. She could barely function all day, knowing three kids that she was beginning to see as family were risking their lives in another city. It didn’t matter that they had extra protection, that Alex would never have returned to National City without Nico, Karolina, and Alex with her. It didn’t matter that Lena knew very well how good those kids were at dealing with whatever curve ball life threw at them. All that mattered was three teenagers, three children, facing the worst evil imaginable. It’s bad enough to know there’s evil in the world, and Lena knows how much it hurts to discover how close that evil is to home. Add that to Lena’s other emotional turmoil that relates to the kiss, several kisses, she and Kara shared the night before and it’s little surprise that she’s an emotional wreck. 

“They’re okay, Lena. They’re safe.”

“They’re hurt.” Lena shook her head. “Alex almost drowned, Karolina broke her arm, and who knows what injuries Nico has, especially if her mother is the one responsible!” Tears fell from her eyes despite how hard Lena tried to keep them in. “I promised them that they would be safe if they stayed with us, with me. I broke my promise.”

“Lena,” Kara pulled her into an embrace, her heart breaking for the sobbing woman in her arms. Lena had such a big heart, she loved others more fiercely than anyone Kara had ever known, and she hurt the same way. “Lena, honey, I need you to listen to me.” The pet name slipped out without Kara noticing, though Lena did, and she pulled back enough to look Kara in the eyes.

“Lena, there’s nothing we could have done. We didn’t know their parents would be there or attack them. Nico was determined to get that Staff from her mother, no one could have talked her out of it. Not even Karolina and we know she tried.” Lena nodded slightly at Kara’s words. “I know you hate knowing their parents treated them like this, I do too. And I know you want to be the good influence for them that you never had. I know.”

“But,” Kara cupped Lena’s face gently, “we can’t protect them from everything. We see them as children, but they aren’t. Not anymore. They’ve been forced to grow up too soon. They’re figuring out their place in this crazy, messed up world long before they should have too.”

“You’re not exactly making me feel better here, Kara.”

“I’m not done yet.” Kara rolled her eyes but smiled a second later. “My point is, they have the weight of the world on their shoulders, but they don’t have to deal with it alone.” Kara’s thumb stroked Lena’s cheek gently, her heart fluttering in her chest when Lena leaned into her touch. “They have each other, and us, and Alex. We can’t protect them, as much as I wish we could, it’s just not possible. But we can support them, comfort them when they let us, and we’ll make sure they don’t face their parents alone.”

“I feel so silly right now.” Lena said, chuckling slightly. She sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of the hoodie she wore. Kara recognized it as one that she had worn around the Mansion a few days back but didn’t comment on it. Something about Lena wearing her jacket warmed Kara’s heart.

“Nothing you feel is silly, Lena.” Kara stroked her cheek again. “You’re incredible, Lena Luthor. And it’s about time you realized that.”

Lena’s heart caught in her throat at the tender look in Kara’s eyes, the conviction in her voice. Kara spoke as if Lena had never been anything but perfect in her eyes and it took Lena’s breath away. No one had ever looked at her that way before, not with the same intensity that Kara did. Memories filtered through Lena’s mind, times that Kara looked at her like she hung the moon and put the stars in the sky. Nights at the Kara’s loft before they had met the teenage runaways, sitting on Kara’s bed with a bottle of wine and talking about everything and nothing in the same conversation. Falling asleep leaning against Kara’s shoulder and waking up feeling so much warmth and comfort. She remembered the feel of Kara’s lips against hers the night before, the way Kara had held her like she was something precious and valuable. 

She felt a rush of affection surge through her body for the woman still kneeling in front of her. She could feel her heart rate increase, and watched Kara’s brow furrow as she heard the change in tempo. Lena’s hands rose of their own accord, one touching Kara’s shoulder gently and the other sliding to the back of her neck. Kara’s skin was warm beneath her touch and Lena vaguely wondered if her hands were cold, or if that would bother Kara at all. 

Their lips meet and the sensation is still new enough that it surprises Lena how soft Kara’s lips are. The fabric of Kara’s suit feels rough beneath Lena’s hand, and it’s a stark contrast to the smooth shirt she’d been wearing the night before, but her lips are soft, tantalizing. Lena’s sure she’s never felt so wonderful in her life.

They pull apart, chests heaving, and lips swollen from their kisses. Lena’s lipstick is smeared across Kara’s lips and the sight only makes Lena want to kiss her again. Kara’s staring at her the way she stares at the stars, a mix of wonder and longing, like she can’t believe something so breathtaking as what she’s seeing actually exists.

“We should check on the kids.” Lena says after a heavy beat of silence, reaching up to wipe the lipstick off of Kara’s lips. Kara catches her hand and presses a kiss against her palm.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Kara rises out of her crouching position, offering her hand to Lena to help her out of her seat. Lena takes the offered hand, then, once she’s on her feet, uses their joined hands to pull Kara into a hug. Kara’s arms loop around her shoulders and Lena knows everything will be okay.

**___**

Kara and Lena are greeted with hushed voices when they enter the room Karolina and the other Runaways are resting in. Molly and Alex stand on one side of Karolina’s bed, Gert and Chase on the other with the girl herself sitting awake on the bed with a sleeping Nico curled into her chest. The five friends glance in Lena and Kara’s direction, noting their joined hands but not feeling cheerful enough to offer any comments of teases. They join Alex, leaning against the back wall of the room.

“That’s all they said? They want us to run away?” Kara’s ears picked up on Chase’s distressed whisper.

“They’re going to try and stop Jonah, but they don’t want us there.” Alex nodded. “They didn’t say how, but it has something to do with Jonah’s ship.”

“The ship that’s buried under the dig site.” Gert felt Chase take her hand. “They’re going to what? Destroy it?”

“I don’t know, but we need to find out.”

“Why?” Chase asked harshly, his voice rising slightly. “Why not let our parents deal with it? They think they can handle it, why should we get involved?”

“We’re already involved.” Karolina spoke up, brushing her fingers through Nico’s hair, “and it’s not just Jonah’s ship at the bottom of that whole.”

“What do you mean?” Molly asked.

“Jonah didn’t come here alone, at least not according to our parents,” Karolina sighed. “His family is still on that ship.”

“Your family,” Gert whispered softly, the hand not holding Chase’s moving to rest comfortingly on Karolina’s shoulder.

“Karolina, there’s no guarantee the people down there are like you,” Alex said, though he seemed disappointed in himself for even saying it. “They might not be good.”

“There’s no guarantee they’re like Jonah either.” Karolina’s grip on Nico tightened, her hand moving to the small of Nico’s back and pulling the small girl more firmly against her chest. She wished her other arm wasn’t in a cast so she could properly hold Nico, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. “Alex, they’re innocent.”

“We don’t know that.” Chase protested. “We don’t know why they came here in the first place.”

“But we can’t condemn them to death.” The whole group started as Nico spoke up. She lifted her head from Karolina’s chest and looked around at her friends' concerned faces. Karolina shifted next to her, sitting up fully and using her grip on Nico to pull her into a sitting position with their backs against the wall, shoulder to shoulder. Nico’s good hand fell to Karolina’s thigh. “We can’t. We’re no better than our parents if we do.”

“So what do we do?” Gert questioned. “Are we going to face Pride and try to protect the ship at the same time?”

“Can we even do that? It was hard enough to fight off just Tina. Can we really face the whole group?”

“We don’t have a choice.” Nico gripped Karolina’s thigh tighter, Karolina’s thumb rubbing a soothing circle on her back in response. “We have time. To get stronger. To prepare. We know when Jonah’s making his big move and that puts us one step ahead.”

“And we’ve got the Staff, and Chase’s Fistigons.” Karolina joined in. “Molly gets stronger every day.”

“And we still don’t know what all you can do,” Gert pointed at Karolina, “but your powers will help us a lot.”

“Still, we can’t do this by ourselves.”

“You don’t have to.” Kara stepped up to the foot of the bed Karolina and Nico shared. “You don’t have to do anything alone.”

“Kara, this isn’t your fight.” Nico pointed out stoically, without meeting Kara’s eyes.

“Yes, it is.” Kara’s stance softened, opening her shoulders and letting the six teenagers in front of her truly focus on the crest she wore on her chest. “Every day, I put on this suit and fight battles that aren’t mine to fight. Every. Single. Day. Do you know why?”

The Runaways shook their heads no, waiting anxiously for Kara to continue speaking.

“When I was twelve, my mother loaded me into a spaceship and told me to be brave. I watched my whole world implode on itself, everything that I had ever known was gone in an instant.” Kara watched the attentive teenagers closely. “I’ve watched planets die, I’ve lost family, gained them back and then lost them again.” Behind Kara, Alex looked down sharply. “I’ve lost so much more than I ever thought possible.”

“Then why keep fighting?” Nico questioned, feeling Kara’s words resonate deep in her chest.

“Because I have infinitely more to lose.” Nico looked up at her words, meeting Kara’s gaze evenly. “I have family and friends that I would do anything to protect. I have someone I’m falling in love with who I don’t want to lose. I have a job, a real one, and a future that doesn’t revolve around a red cape and a symbol on my chest.” Kara smiled slightly. “I’ve got a group of rag-tag teenagers that are determined to save the world and trust me to keep them safe while they do it.” Gert snorts, the other Runaways smiling slightly at Kara’s words.

“I made a promise, to you, to do anything I can to keep you safe. I make the same promise again and again whenever I put on this suit. I fight because I have something to fight for, something to remind me why I’m doing this. This is your fight, but it’s not you against the world.” Kara’s words echo what she said earlier to Lena, when it was just the two of them alone down the hall. She speaks to them with the same conviction she did before, the same certainty.

“We can’t ask you to do this, Kara. This isn’t your responsibility.” Karolina glanced at Nico out of the corner of her eye as she spoke. Nico met her gaze and nodded slightly. “We need to do this.”

“You aren’t asking me to do anything.” Kara looked each of the Runaways in the eye in turn. “I’m keeping my promise. I won’t interfere unless you need me, but I will be there. As backup and moral support.” Kara smiled at them, “Besides, I know Molly’s strong but even she can’t stop me from going. Don’t forget that I am an actual superhero.”

The Runaways laugh, tension in their shoulders dissipating as Kara smiles warmly at them.

“We know, super is in the name,” Karolina jokes before her words take a serious turn, “but you’re more than that. To us, you’re not just a superhero. You’re Kara.”

“You believed in us when our parents betrayed us. You accepted us.”

“Quirks and all.” Chase speaks after Gert, their hands linked together between them. Nico and Karolina zero in on their joined hands and the distinct lack of blush from either of them, sharing a surprised but happy look.

“All of you did.” Molly points to where Alex, and Lena hang back against the wall and gestures for them to join the group around the bed. They do, stepping up on either side of Kara. If anyone notices Lena’s hand moving slightly to grasp Kara’s, they don’t comment on it.

“We can never repay you for everything you’ve done for us.” Alex’s words surprise all three adults but they recover quickly.

“We don’t want you to repay us,” Lena smiles, “we want you to make it through this mess and be better off for it.”

“And we’ll help you however we can, now and after this is all over.”

“Do you really mean that?” Molly’s voice is as timid as they’ve ever heard before and it hits Lena in that moment how strong Molly is. How she’s been putting on a brave face, determined to be just like her friends, but she’s still a scared fourteen-year-old.

“Of course we do,” Lena moves over to Molly, resting her hands on Molly’s shoulders and looking into her eyes. “I know what it’s like to be disillusioned by your family, by your parents. It’s the worst, it makes you feel like everything in the world is a lie, and like you’ll never have a happy family again. But you will, I promise.”

“How do you know?” Alex rests his hand on Molly’s shoulder, squeezing in a brotherly manner that makes her smile.

“Because I used to feel the same way.” Lena glances around at the rest of the group to find them all listening attentively. “I used to think I’d never belong with anyone, never have a family. But I do.”

“You have us.” Karolina squeezes Nico’s shoulders, holding her close. “We have each other. El mayarah, right?” She directs her question at Kara.

“That’s right.”

“El mayarah, what’s that mean?” Nico asks, looking between her favorite blonde and the Kryptonian.

“Stronger together. It’s what this symbol means.” Kara tapped a finger against her chest. “It’s my family’s motto, from Krypton.”

“I hope you don’t mind sharing,” Gert said, leaning into Chase with a happy little grin. “Stronger together sounds like exactly the mindset we need to have.”

“I think you’re right,” Karolina smiles and holds Nico just a little closer. 

“So, we all agree? No one is fighting anyone on their own. We’re a family, we stick together.” Alex, Gert, Chase, Karolina, and Nice nodded at Kara’s words, those coupled together squeezing their partner slightly in assurance. Molly pulled Lena into a tight hug, her eyes flashing orange for the briefest of seconds before she calmed herself down.

“Aw man,” Molly groaned suddenly, pulling away from Lena and turning to her friends. “Does this mean I have three older sisters, and two brothers, now?”

“Yep.” Alex smiled cheekily, pulling on the cat ears on Molly’s beanie.

“Oh my god, I’m so screwed when I start dating.” Molly’s expression showed genuine annoyance and the teenagers laughed. Kara and Lena shared a smile as Lena moved back to her side, their hands joined but they remained silent.

“I’m going to go check on Winn, see if he found anything.” Alex whispered to her sister, “but I expect to hear about this,” she pointed to her and Lena’s joined hands, “sooner rather than later.”

“We haven’t talked about it yet,” Kara whispered back but her voice wasn’t soft enough for Lena to not hear and she leaned closer. 

“But you’ll be the first to know after we do,” Lena agreed, squeezing Kara’s hand. Kara smiled back at her. 

“I better be,” Alex offered the new couple a smile, ignoring the pain that clouded her heart beat for a moment. She and Maggie separated for a reason, and even though it hurts, Alex has to have faith that it won’t always feel like this. “Get the kids home, I know they don’t like being in the city too long.” 

“What about Karolina? If her healing accelerates because of her powers, should she spend the night under a sun lamp?” Kara asked, now speaking loud enough that the teenagers could listen in as well. 

“If that’s something you feel comfortable with, Karolina, it would help.” Alex directs the statement to the girl in question. “You might heal faster if you can be powered up without it draining you.” 

“I’ll think about it.” 

“Okay, let me know. We’ll get an extra car ready to take you back to the mansion.” 

With a parting smile and wave, Alex walked out of the room. Lena and Kara followed after her a few minutes later, letting the teenagers take the time they needed to recover from their trip to L.A. without them hovering around. 

**___**

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“Of course I want you to stay, Nico,” Karolina smiled at Nico’s shy smile, “but you need to rest and heal just as much as I do. This bed isn’t exactly big enough for two.”

“Didn’t seem to matter earlier.” Nico grumbled, twisting her fingers around in Karolina’s grasp. The couple had relocated to the sun room, Nico waiting for one of the others to come get her to head back to the Mansion. Karolina had decided that staying the night at the DEO, under the sun lamps, was the best thing she could do to heal quickly. She and Alex hoped that the solar radiation would speed up the healing process, especially if Karolina was powered up for most of the night, with the added bonus of restoring her energy. It seemed her powers were working overtime to heal the break in her arm, she looked more exhausted with each passing second. “What happened to feeling better when you're close to me?”

“Still true,” Karolina maneuvered her fingers to wind through Nico’s, stopping her nervous fiddling. Karolina sat on the edge of the bed she’d be spending the night in, legs dangling over the side and Nico standing in front of her. “You need to rest, in a real bed. A sprained shoulder is still a pretty serious injury.”

“I know, you’re right.” Nico looked at her boot clad feet, “I just don’t want to leave you. Not after everything that happened today.”

“Hey,” Karolina used her grip on Nico’s hand to pull her closer. Nico stepped into the space between Karolina’s thighs and wrapped her good arm around Karolina’s waist after untangling their fingers. “I’m okay, Nico. You got me out of there, we’re safe.”

“Alex got you out of there.” Nico’s voice was slightly muffled from Karolina’s shirt. “I don’t even know what I did.”

“You kept them from following us. Don’t sell yourself short, Nico. We couldn’t have gotten out of there without you.” 

“Maybe we shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”

“You don’t mean that, Nico.” Karolina rubbed Nico’s back soothingly. “We had to get the Staff.” Karolina’s eyes glance to the chair sitting beside the bed, where Nico’s clothes from earlier and the Staff are sitting along with Karolina’s own outfit.

“I mean, maybe you shouldn’t have been there. You or Alex.”

“Nico, there’s no way we would have let you go alone,”

“If you had, you wouldn’t be here,” Nico lifted her head from Karolina’s chest, reaching for Karolina’s cast covered hand, “You wouldn’t need to stay here under a sunlamp to heal.”

“We didn’t know this would happen,” Karolina’s arm shifted beneath Nico’s grasp, the fingers of her good hand sliding to Nico’s hip. “There’s nothing we could have done, and if we hadn’t been there who knows what would have happened.” Karolina watched Nico closely, gaging her reaction. “It was a fucked up situation we should never have been in, all of this is, but we have to deal with it.”

Nico looked up sharply, partly because hearing Karolina cuss was as shocking as it was sexy, but also so she could read Karolina’s eyes, see the truth in her words. “And we have to deal with it together, otherwise we might never get through this.”

“El mayarah, right?” Nico’s fingers twisted the fabric of Karolina’s shirt, pulling her marginally closer.

“Right.” Karolina kissed Nico’s nose which made her face scrunch adorably and Karolina smiled. “So stop worrying about this,” Karolina held up her broken arm, “go home, eat something, and get some rest. I’ll be back before you can miss me.” Nico highly doubted that, but she decided to simply pull Karolina into a kiss instead of voicing her disagreement. They parted when someone knocked on the door.

“We’re loading up, Nico.” Lena poked her head into the room, surveying the young couple’s positions before offering them a coy smirk. “Finish kissing Karolina good night so we can head out.”

“I’ll be right out,” Nico rolled her eyes when Lena winked at them before ducking back out of the room. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Bright and early,” Karolina promised with a wide smile and tired eyes.

Nico brushed a stray bit of hair behind Karolina’s ear before cupping the back of her neck and pulling her in for another kiss. Karolina’s hand held the small of Nico’s back, pushing their bodies flush together. They separated slowly, Nico stepping back to grab her staff and both of their clothes from the chair.

“Good night, baby,” she said, leaning up to steal one last kiss, okay two, before making her way to the door.

“Good night, babe.” Karolina watched her leave, resettling on the bed and blowing Nico a kiss as she pulled the door closed. Karolina laid back after flipping the switch to turn the sun lamps on and removing her bracelet. Dimly glowing, she fell asleep only a few moments after Nico swept out of the room.

“Ready to go, Nico?” Alex D. asked as Nico approached the large group waiting in the main lobby of the DEO. Nico nodded, gratefully letting Alex take the bag with her and Karolina’s clothes in it when he offered his hand. “Let’s roll out then.”

They split into two vehicles again for the drive back to the Mansion, Kara driving one and Lena the other since Alex stayed behind to work on paperwork, which was made in silence on Nico’s part as she let Alex, Molly, and Lena carry a mindless conversation for the duration. Once at the Mansion, Nico dutifully ate the sandwich and chips given to her by Kara before excusing herself to shower and get ready for bed.

Nico was surprised to find Alex waiting for her in her bedroom after she emerged from the shower.

“I brought yours and Karo’s clothes,” Alex gestured to the bag sitting on the floor at his feet.

“Oh, right, thanks.” Nico offered him a smile, using a towel to dry her hair while she moved to sit on the bed next to Alex. Alex took a moment to observe this side of Nico, one he was never privy to see. Her face was absent her usual dark makeup, her hair wet and hanging loosely around her shoulder. She wore black shorts and colorful t-shirt that was very obviously Karolina’s, not just because of the colors but because it swamped Nico’s small frame and hung almost to the hem of her shorts. “I, um, I wanted to say thank you. For getting Karolina out of there.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Nico.” Alex smiled warmly at her, pushing his glasses up his nose when they slipped slightly. “I know you and I haven’t been in the best place, and that’s my fault, but I wouldn’t have left her there. Not ever, but especially not when I know how much she means to you.”

“I’m sorry,” Nico threw her now wet towel into the basket in the corner. “I know it hasn’t been easy for you to watch Karolina and me.”

“Don’t apologize.” Alex shrugged as he continued, “I messed up and you were pissed at me, rightfully so. I know I should have told you what I knew about Amy, but I didn’t, and I had to pay the price. It was natural for you to move on.”

“Still, I know it must suck.”

“It did, at least at first. But I’ve had some time to come around to it. I’ve watched you fall for Karolina every day. At first, I was hurt, and angry that you wouldn’t give me a second chance. That’s why I kept lashing out, especially our first night in National City.” Nico nodded, remembering the argument the six of them had in the DEO after Karolina overworked her powers. “I felt like you were rubbing it in my face, seeing you guys holding hands and stealing kisses and generally being sickeningly cute. But, seeing how you are with her, how happy she makes you? I can’t be mad about that.”

“I guess it’s safe to say you and I were always better off as friends.” Nico nudged his shoulder with her own.

“You’re my best friend, Nico. You always will be, and I’ll always do what I can to make you happy, even carrying your injured girlfriend half a mile.”

“Please it was like half a block, maybe.” Nico smiled. “You’re my best friend, too, and I’m glad we’re finally back to that.”

“Me too,” Alex pulled Nico into a one-armed side-hug. “Now, it’s getting late and Karolina will kill me if I keep you from resting any longer.” Nico pinched his side with her good hand, adjusting her sling into a more comfortable position as Alex stood from the bed. “Maybe you can actually sleep without it looking like there’s a rave going on down here.”

“Shut up, asshole.” Nico groaned, turning around so Alex couldn’t see the blush coloring her cheeks. Alex’s laugh carried down the hall as he walked out, pulling the door closed behind him.

“It does not look like a rave,” Nico grumbled to herself as she pulled the duvet down and climbed beneath it on Karolina’s side of the bed. Besides, Karolina’s nightly light show wasn’t entirely Nico’s fault, at least that’s what Nico told herself. Karolina wanted to practice controlling her lights while engaging in activities that normally left her heart racing or adrenaline pumping through her body. It just so happens that making out with Nico was a great way to practice that control in non-battle circumstances, and Nico was more than willing to help anyway she could. Karolina had actually gotten fairly good at keeping herself from lighting up when she and Nico kissed, it was only when hands started to wander beneath clothes that Karolina would slip up. Nico didn’t mind. After all practice makes perfect, right?

Chuckling to herself, Nico curled into Karolina’s pillow. The scent of Karolina’s shampoo lingered on the pillowcase, mixed with something that Nico couldn’t name but inherently reminded her of her girlfriend. That, paired with Karolina’s shirt covering her torso, helped but Nico’s mind at ease enough to catch a few hours of sleep, however fitful they might have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I'd leave you on a cliffhanger for too long, did ya? This chapter ended up being a little longer than usual but I hope you still enjoyed it!


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